The Shadow People
by MeenColleen
Summary: Written for Nicole,she requested our names written into the story. Sam and Dean investigate mysterious deaths in the woods. Believing the area to be haunted by evil beings from another dimension.They meet two girls who live in an old abandoned hotel in the woods. The girls also have strange powers.They all work together to save the town from death and darkness.
1. Chapter 1

Sam sat quietly at the counter in a small dinning car. He stared into his coffee cup as he stirred it around with his spoon. The swirl of white cream collided with the blackness of the coffee. He looked up to a few lonely faces sitting at tables near him. They ate alone and silently just like Sam. He thought about all that he had been through with his brother Dean this year. All the different motel rooms and dinning cars he had inhabited. He thought about the horrors they had encountered while traveling around the country. He wondered where they would end up next, or if they would ever be able to take a break . He heard the bell of the front door jingle, and the familiar sound of his brothers boots stamping against the linoleum floor. He turned around to see Dean walking towards him, he had a smile on his face. Dean sat down next to Sam at the counter and slammed a newspaper onto the table. The vibration of Dean's strong fist caused the coffee to erupt out of the top of the cup. Sam let out an exhausted sigh as he watched the warm liquid spill all over the counter.

'Nice job Dean.' He replied sarcastically to his brothers carelessness.  
'It's fine, just refill the cup.' He said brushing off his brothers concern. 'Take a look at this.' Dean said directing his brother's attention to the newspaper. 'Third hiking victim found dead in Shadow Creek hills this month. Mayor urges citizens to stay out of the woods until further notice. Police have no leads.'  
'Okay.' Sam furrowed his brow at Dean. 'That could be anything Dean.'  
'Right, but that's not all.' Dean raised his hand to the woman behind the counter. 'Excuse me, Ma'am. Can I get a double cheese burger, extra onions?'  
'Dean it's 9 in the morning.' Sam reminded him.  
'So?' He looked to the woman behind the counter. She nodded her head reluctantly. 'Medium rare. Oh, and I think he needs some more coffee. Thanks a lot.' He took a sip of his brothers coffee.  
'Do you mind?' Sam asked.  
'What? She's going to refill it.' Dean said putting the cup to his lips. He drank down the rest of the coffee. 'Too much cream.'  
'Get your own damn coffee then.'  
'I'm good. So I looked into this town, Shadow Creek. There is a pattern of people being killed in the woods. It's been going on for over a hundred years.'  
'The woods themselves are called Shadow Creek Hills?' Sam poured cream into his freshly filled coffee cup.  
'Yes. The weird thing about the deaths are that they've all been sudden, and mysterious. Every death has been classified as a heart attack, but most of the victims were young healthy people. Apparently the Shadow Creek hills used to be a big tourist spot, but with these deaths becoming more frequent it's drove most of the tourists away. The surrounding townspeople swore the woods are haunted and refuse to go in there anymore.'  
'Interesting.' Sam scratched his head.  
'The population of the town of Shadow Creek is the fastest receding population in the country. I got some eye witness reports from people in the woods describing dark figures living among the trees.'  
'Dark figures, that reminds me of the legend of the Shadow People.'  
'That's what I thought.' Dean looked to Sam's coffee cup and noticed his brother who was giving him a confused look. 'Why are you giving me that look? This is definitely a case.'  
'No, I agree. Shadow People are nasty creatures. They've been known to devastate large areas. They feed off fear, kind of like parasitic spirits.'  
'Some people even think they could be inter dimensional beings.' Dean added.  
'Right.' Sam agreed. 'I just have one question. Since when do you do research on potential cases?'  
'What do you mean? I've done research on cases before.' Dean stared at the newspaper.  
'No you haven't.' Sam answered him matter of factly.  
'I guess I got excited and wanted to know more. I started reading this article and it seemed like it was calling my name. You know?' The waitress put a large cheeseburger in front of Dean.  
'Here you go.' She smiled.  
'Thanks.' Dean took a big bite of the burger. 'Oh wow.' He gushed with his mouth full. 'This is incredible.'  
'Where is Shadow Creek anyway?'  
'North Carolina, it's a few miles outside of Ashville.'  
'Dean, you realize were in Phoenix now, right?'  
'So. We have a car.' He continued to have a love affair with his cheese burger. The juices dripped down his chin.  
'I know that, I'm just curious how you got the local Shadow Creek newspaper half way across the country.' He looked at his brother skeptically as he continued to eat his food sloppily.  
'I don't know.' Dean wiped his face with a napkin. 'That is kind of strange I guess, I found it in our motel room.' Dean chewed his food slower as he thought about the newspaper. 'Maybe the last person who stayed there left it.'  
'Maybe.' Sam had a strange feeling about how the newspaper happened to appear in their hotel room.  
'Either way I think we should head there and check it out.'  
'Well, I guess so.' Sam resigned himself to the idea.  
'What? Do you have a better idea?' Dean took a few more bites of his cheeseburger until it was gone.  
'What about taking a break every once in a while.' Sam inquired.  
'Take a break!?' Dean laughed. He stood up and put a $10 bill on the table. 'Good one Sam.' He waived to the waitress and thanked her for the cheeseburger. Sam stared back at his brother. 'Are you coming?' He urged Sam to follow him out of the diner. Sam picked up the newspaper and followed his brother out the door.

Dean and Sam pulled up to the library in Shadow Creek. They looked around skeptically at the town square. It was only four in the afternoon, but it was beginning to get dark. They watched carefully as the few people who littered the square got in their cars to drive away. Sam walked up to the front door of the library and pulled hard. The door didn't budge. He looked for the sign on the door. There was a piece of lined paper covering the hours that said 'Closed at Dusk.'  
'That's kind of weird don't you think.' Sam shook his head. 'This place is really clearing out.' He looked down at his watch again. 'Is it really only 4?'  
'That's what I have.' Dean assured him after looking at his watch.  
'It shouldn't be getting dark this early.'  
'Nope.' Dean took a deep breath and felt the cool air fill his lungs. 'Something around here doesn't feel right to me.'  
'Me either.' Sam bent his head back to look at the top windows of the library building. It was an old brick Victorian building. He watched as the lights dimmed. 'This really is a beautiful library.' He marveled at the craftsmanship of the walls. He squinted hard upon seeing what looked like a girl on the top floor staring down at him. He blinked hard and focused his eyes again. She stood still staring down at him. He turned to his brother to get his attention. 'Dean look up there.' He pointed to the window.  
'What is it?' Dean asked following his brothers hand. 'I don't see anything.'  
'I saw a girl.'  
'Yeah?' Dean smiled. 'What was she wearing?'  
'Will you cut it out.' He gave his brother a slap on the shoulder. 'I swear she was there. She was just standing there staring down at me.' Sam shook his head staring at the now empty window.  
'Let's get some more information on this place first. If we have any time later then we can go looking for girls.' Dean said.  
'Wait. Did you just say you want to work first, then look for girls?' Sam stared back at his brother. 'Are you feeling alright?'  
'Very funny.' Dean started walking around the town square looking into the empty store front windows. The businesses that were still operational all had white paper signs that said 'Closed at Dusk.'  
'I don't know who we are going to find to talk to. It's like this whole place shuts down at any hint of darkness.' Sam lamented.  
'Hey, do you know what opens at night and is full of people who want to talk?' Dean posed the question to his brother.  
'No.'  
'A bar.' Dean smiled pleased with himself. 'What about that place over there?' He pointed to building with an old metal sign above it. 'That looks like a bar to me.'  
'It looks like an old west brothel.' Sam stared skeptically at the saloon style bar.  
'Even better. We can kill two birds with one stone, get some more information about this place and then maybe we will find someone to ease that sexual frustration of yours.' Dean began walking across the square towards the bar. Sam followed his brother.  
'Just cause I saw a girl in the library window doesn't mean I'm sexually frustrated.'  
'Keep telling yourself that Sammy.' They watched as all the lights in businesses dimmed. The bar looked as if it was the only place still open. Sam and Dean walked through the door and stood still taking in the interior sight of the bar. It was almost completely empty, there was only one single old man sitting at the bar. A bunch of wooden tables were scattered around the floor, all of them seemed to have a light coating of dust on them. The bar was totally silent except for the sound of the old man breathing. The two brothers walked up to the bar and sat down next to the man. He looked over at them quickly and then fixed his attention to the small empty shot glass that sat before him.

'Quiet night huh?' Sam said to the old man. He stared back at Sam without saying anything.  
'He doesn't say much.' A man stood up from behind the bar. The sight of him startled Sam who didn't realize he was crouched down behind there.  
'Oh, Hi.' Sam answered back quickly.  
'That's Smokey.' The man continued. ' He's a few cards short of a full deck.'  
'Ah.. I have an uncle like that.' Dean smiled.  
'Everyone does.' The bartender commiserated.  
'So, how are you doing this afternoon.' Dean asked him.  
'I'm doing just fine, but it's hardly afternoon out there.'  
'I guess you're right.' Dean frowned at the already black atmosphere.  
'Why is that?' Sam asked. 'It's pretty early, and it's mid July. It should be light out for at least another three hours.'  
'Yeah.' Dean added. 'And It certainly doesn't feel like mid July around here, it's got to be 55 degrees.' Dean rubbed his forearms for warmth.  
'Yes...' The bartender trailed off suspiciously. 'I suppose it is.' He pulled out some already dry glasses and rubbed them with his white rag. He was a tall man in his late 50's. He had big eyes with dark circles under them. 'Well that's just the way it is around here. So, can I get you boys something?'  
'Yeah. I'll have a beer.' Dean ordered.  
'I'll have a beer as well.' Sam agreed.  
'Coming right up.' The bartender began pouring the two glasses.  
'So, barkeep.' Dean began  
'It's Andy.' The man corrected Dean.  
'Andy, what can you tell me about Shadow Creek Hills?'  
'What are you asking for?' He put two beers in front of the boys to drink.  
'We're doing some research.' Sam interjected.  
'You boys go to the local college?' The bartender asked.  
'No, were just in town uh...' Dean began. 'Collecting some samples for the EPA.'  
'EPA?' The man's interested seemed to peak. 'I used to love the environment, the woods and all.'  
'Really?' Sam questioned the man. 'What changed your mind?'  
'The Environment did.' He shook his head. 'That'll be six bucks.'  
'What do you mean?' Sam continued to prod him for information as he reached into his pocket for some cash.  
'Those woods, they turned on us. Do yourself a favor if you're going to go into those woods be careful.' The man began walking away. 'And, whatever you do stay out of there at night.'  
'What happens at night?' Dean tried calling Andy back towards them.  
'I'm sorry but the tap is clogged.' He said pointing to the beer tap. 'I've got to go try and unclog it downstairs. If you need anything else my son Jack will be in soon.'  
'But...' Sam attempted to yell after Andy but he was gone. 'What the hell?' Sam sighed to his brother. 'How are we ever going to find out about this place?'  
'You boys want to know about Shadow Creek Hills?' The old man's voice crooned beside them.  
'Yes, we do.' Dean turned around to look at the little man. He was small and hunched over with long white hair. The man leaned closer to Dean. Then he reached behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of Gin and a glass.  
'You know them woods is haunted right? Ever since they built that place out there.'  
'What place? What are the woods haunted by?' Dean asked him.  
'Well they aint haunted by what the other folks around here will tell you. They think it's them girls, out there causing trouble. But I know it's somethin' more sinister than that. It started long before those girls were ever born.'  
'What girls?' Sam interjected.  
'I remember when I was a little boy playing by the river and fishing with my Grand Daddy. I knew they was there then. Though back then it seemed like there was only a few. These days there's more and more all the time. You gotta be aware of your surroundings all the time out there, you can feel them before you can see them. They hide in darkness, and they're quick too. It used to be that you could only see them out of the corner of your eye. One minute they were there and the next they were gone.'  
'You're talking about Shadow People.' Sam replied.  
'My Granddaddy always said you had to be brave. If you don't fear them you'll be safe. But people they afraid of everything. And that gives them strength.' He poured the Gin into his glass and took a big sip of it.  
'How does it give them strength? Sam could feel his interest growing.  
'Well for one thing they are a lot bolder than they used to be. The people who seen them and lived to tell about it say you can look them straight in the eye now. Theys pure evil, soul wrenching creatures.'  
'Have you ever seen them?' Dean asked sipping his beer slowly.  
'Not in a long time. And I'm glad about that, theys no good. They'll scare you to death just like that.' He said clapping his hands together loudly. The sound made Sam jump. Dean began laughing at his brothers reaction.  
'So, all the deaths around here are from people going into the woods and being scared to death by some shadows?' Dean asked the man condescendingly.  
'Yes.' He answer with confidence. 'You know, when I was little there was only a killin every few years. Now it's a few killin's every year. Three this month alone. No one leaves the house anymore. What you don't understand is that these aint just some shadows. And they gots people scared, real scared, which aint good.' The man picked up his glass of gin and drank down the rest of the clear liquid inside.  
'What else can you tell us?' Sam asked.  
'The darkness, it grows every year. At first it was just the woods. They started getting dark real early, but it's spreading like an evil plague. Soon the whole town will be dark and no one will be safe.' The man shuddered and poured himself another glass of Gin. The front door to the bar slammed closed and a young man in his mid twenties walked up behind the old man. He grabbed the bottle of gin away from him.  
'Come on Smokey, we talked about this.' He walked around the bar and to the other side.  
'I'm sorry Jack.' The old man apologized. 'I couldn't wait.'  
'This place is not self serve, you know that.' Jack was short with dirty blonde hair. He had on a pair of ratty jeans and high top sneakers. He looked out of place in the town that seemed to be trapped in a time long ago.  
'I know.' Smokey lamented. 'Don't tell your father please.'  
'You're lucky this isn't my bar, I wouldn't stand for it. You know we don't have that many customers anymore.' He looked around to the empty bar room. 'Where is my dad anyway?'  
'I don't know.' Smokey sipped the rest of his glass with his eyes focused down in shame.  
'He went downstairs.' Dean told Jack. 'He said the line to the keg was clogged.'  
'He did?' Jack stared back at Dean suspiciously. 'Well them. Who might you be? My name is Jack.'  
'My name is Keith. Keith Moon, and this is my associate Peter Townsend. Were here from the EPA.'  
'Environmental protection agency huh?'  
'That's right.'  
'You here to look at Shadow Creek Hills?'  
'We are.' Sam said.  
'Well I hope you find something, maybe report your findings to the police. Every time I come back here for the summer it get's worse and worse.'  
'You go to College during the year?' Sam asked him. 'What year are you in?'  
'Senior year. I'm a business major over at UNC. Every summer I work in the bar with my dad, I was hoping that I'd be able to help him bring this place back to life. But, it looks like this place isn't going to be around much longer though. All these places are going out of business.'  
'Why is that?' Dean asked.  
'Cause everyone's moving out. They're all cowards.' He threw his rag on the ground in a huff. 'If you ask me the whole thing would be solved if they just went in there and arrested those girls.'  
'What girls?' Dean asked him.  
'There are these two freak sisters, they live in the woods. You know, they've got weird powers. They're witches or Satanist or something. They sacrifice animals and kill people.'  
'It's not the girls.' Smokey protested. 'They're not what's killing them people.'  
'Oh come off it Smokey. Everyone knows they're dangerous. Especially the younger one, she runs around the woods all day like some kind of wild animal. She threatens anyone who gets too close to her or her sister. She's got this voice. You can hear her wailing in the middle of the night sometimes. It's an awful sound. Every time you hear it, you better bet you're going to hear about another poor bastard getting killed the next day. The sound of her voice is so awful it'll make your heart stop if you get too close.'  
'A Banshee?' Sam looked at his brother.  
'Sounds like it.' Dean agreed. 'Wait so what else can you tell us about the girls?'  
'I don't know, I shouldn't be telling you anything in the first place.' Jack sighed. The sound of Andy's foot steps could be heard as he made his way upstairs.  
'That's right.' Andy began speaking. 'It's a long story and we don't discuss those types of things in here.' He shook his head as he looked around suspiciously. 'The Anderson family troubles are not our troubles.'  
'My uncle used to work for them.' Jack offered.  
'Jack that's enough.' Andy snapped at his son.  
'Sorry. 'He walked away from his uncle and began sorting through empty liquor bottles.  
'Just tell me one thing. What does the EPA need to know all about this family for?' Andy's eyes narrowed as he studied the boys appearances.  
'They don't. We were just interested in what Jack had to say.' Sam began. 'We didn't mean to upset anyone.'  
'Look all you need to do is get your soil samples and then leave this town alone. We will make it through this rough patch I assure you.'  
'I'm sure you will.' Sam smiled.  
'Well, we're closing up early tonight, so you boys best be getting to your hotel.' He shut off some lights on the other side of the bar. 'The Drake Motel is all we got left. You better get there soon before they aren't accepting guests anymore.'  
'Okay.' Dean drank down the rest of his beer.  
'Sorry again.' Sam forced a smile. 'It was nice to meet all of you.'  
'You be careful out there. Bring a flashlight.' Smokey warned them as they walked towards the door.  
'We will.' Dean assured him. 'Thanks.'


	2. Chapter 2

Sam and Dean climbed back into their car. The sound of the doors being slammed shut could be heard echoing throughout the town square. The empty feel of the place was becoming more and more uncomfortable to them.  
'Alright, which way to the woods?' Dean started up the car. Sam turned to look at his brother with a sense of apprehension.  
'Shouldn't we wait till morning?' Sam asked  
'What are you scared?' Dean taunted his brother.  
'No.' Sam pulled out a small area map and studied it for a minute. The woods were huge, they stretched for miles in every direction. 'Okay. It's like 5 minutes west.'  
'Alright, Shadow Creek Hills here we come.' The car roared forward and they were on their way. Dean drove out to the edge of town past the square to where the woods began. They parked Dean's Impala and loaded up with weapons and flashlights. They didn't know much about Shadow People other than what little research they had done up to this point. They knew the Shadow people were illusive creatures that hid in the darkness. They fed off fear, so it was important to stay calm. Sam and Dean explored the trails that lead all over different parts of the woods. There were buildings that had been run down and abandoned for years. Old hiking stations and public bathrooms that were long closed up. There was a malevolent feel to the woods.  
'So, what is it we're support be looking for out here?' Dean asked his brother as they tramped around.  
'I don't really know. I mean, you just have to kind of keep your eyes open. They're supposto appear in your peripheral vision first.'  
'Right.' They continued wal

king. Dean felt a presence surrounding him as he walked but he never saw anything. 'Do we have a plan for what to do if we see them?' He asked Sam.  
'Not really. I guess we will just shine the flashlight on them. Can't see a shadow in the light.'  
'Wonderful.' He sighed. They continued to walk until Dean saw something up ahead off the path. 'Hey look at this sign.' Dean pointed out to an old weathered wooden sign. He dusted off the wood and read the words. 'Shadow Creek Hotel.' His eyes lit up with excitement. He thought about what might lay ahead. 'I can't believe there is a hotel this far into the woods. That's kind of weird don't you think?'  
'Well, didn't you say these woods were a big tourist attraction at one point?'  
'Yeah.' Dean nodded his head.  
'Well maybe this was like a distant oasis for tourists to get away from the city life or something.'  
'Reminds me more of the Overlook Hotel.' Dean shuddered  
'The Overlook, where's that?' Sam shook his head with confusion.  
'Oh come on. The Overlook hotel, you know from 'The Shinning'.' Dean presented his pointer finger and bent it up and down. 'Redrum!Redrum!' Sam stared back at him like he was crazy.  
'Yeah, I don't follow.' Sam scrunched his forehead.  
'Seriously Sammy!? You've never seen The Shinning?'  
'No, I've never seen it.' He shook his head.  
'What!? Jack Nicholson, with the Axe!? Here's Johnny!' He imitated the character with enthusiasm. Dean's smile lingered waiting to see if it would jog Sam's memory.  
'No, I've never seen it Dean.'  
'God.' He groaned at his brother. 'I can't believe I'm related to you sometimes.' Dean began walking away from Sam. 'Well, we should go up there and at least check the place out.'  
'Yeah, maybe we can get a room.' Sam answered sarcastically as he shined the flash light to his watch. 'I'm pretty sure were not going to be able to find a hotel at this hour.' They continued to walk, up a steep hill. The woods were eerily quiet and there was a dark mist in the air. Both boys felt a chill in their bones as they walked. After about twenty minutes of walking they came upon a huge looming mansion. Both of them stared up at the place, it looked like the hotel that had long been abandoned. The shutters on the windows slammed in the wind. The blue gray paint peeled from the wooden structure.  
'Holy shit.' Dean gasped. 'Look at this place.' The grass surrounding the hotel had long turned brown and died. There was a long graveled path leading to the front, where a ten foot double door with tarnished brass handles guarded the entrance. 'I bet this place was something before it turned to shit.'  
'I can't believe how big it is.' Sam walked closer to the building to inspect. He peered into the windows trying to see what was inside. 'Do you think anyone lives here?' He used his hand to clear some dust from the glass.  
'I don't know. What can you see in there? Are there any lights on?' Dean looked around the grounds of the hotel, he felt someone close, it was almost a sense that he was being watched. He looked behind a few trees but didn't see anything. He drew his gun as he continued to look around for something that wasn't there.  
'There is a lot of furniture inside of here Dean.' Sam shouted to his brother who wasn't paying attention to him anymore.  
'Oh Yeah?' Dean responded as he continued to inspect the grounds.  
'You know, maybe someone does live here.' He took a step back and peered up to the windows above him. He saw a faint light and what looked to be a girl in one of the windows. 'Dean. I see a light, and that girl.'  
'The same girl from he library?' Dean turned around with a smile. As soon as he did, he saw Sam being pushed forward into the side of the house. His body slammed hard into wooden exterior.  
'Shit.' Sam groaned at the pain that radiated through his whole body. He turned around to see who pushed him. Staring back at him was a girl, she had a smile spread across her face. In one swift motion she pressed a long sharp knife up to his throat. Sam swallowed hard looking behind the girl to see if he could see Dean off in the distance.  
'Don't move.' She hissed at Sam. He took a deep breath and studied the girls eyes. She was stone faced staring back at him with intensity. She was wearing knee height black leather boots under a brown denim skirt. She had a leather belt on with a multi tool, flashlight and a rope hanging from it. Her hair was dark, short and blunt. Her chest heaved as she breathed heavily. She wore a black t-shirt, ripped on the right shoulder that revealed a long deep gash. She looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic nightmare.  
'Wait a minute.' Sam put his hands up in the air. 'This is a mistake.'  
'I don't think so. I'm going to slit your throat.' She smiled as she pressed the blade harder into his throat.  
'Hey, sweetheart.' Dean yelled out to the girl. 'I wouldn't do that.' He warned. The girl shook her head and turned slightly to look behind her.  
'You better not be talking to me like that.' She growled. Dean stared right back at her, the sight of him made her blood boil.  
'I'd drop that knife if I were you.' Dean continued to talk to her. He stood a few feet behind, and to her right, his gun pointed directly at her head. 'I wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours.'  
'If you want your friend to walk out these woods with his throat intact I'd drop that gun.' She threatened.  
'Yeah?' Dean asked. 'Who do you think has the faster hand? You or me?' He pulled the trigger back on the gun so she could hear it.  
'Do you realize your trespassing up here?' She asked Dean.  
'Put the knife down and we'll get off your land.' Dean instructed her.  
'It's too late.'  
'Come on honey. You don't mean that.' Dean replied.  
'Don't talk to me that way.' She snarled.  
'Can you not make her more angry.' Sam urged Dean.  
'Fine. Just drop the knife okay? I'm sorry. I'll put the gun down and we will leave.' He offered.  
'Yeah?' She stared into Dean's eyes for a minute trying to assess his sincerity. 'Why don't you tell me who you are first, and what you're doing spying in my house.'  
'That's your house?' Dean asked surprised.  
'Yes.' She narrowed her eyes at him.  
'Listen, were with the EPA.' Sam tried to reason with the girl. 'We didn't realize we were trespassing, honest. We were just doing some research and came upon this place. It's pretty amazing, we were just curious.' He studied her face waiting to see if it would soften. 'Can you please just put the knife down. It's starting to hurt.' He smiled warmly at her. She pulled the knife back slightly so it wasn't digging into his skin anymore but she didn't put it down.  
'EPA?' She repeated. 'Okay, since when do the EPA carry guns?' She turned back to Dean to see what his answer would be.  
'They don't. I just happen to have one on me. They told us these woods were dangerous, I guess they were right.'  
'Fine. But I'm wondering why the two of you are up here alone in the dark woods? I don't see any equipment either.'  
'We were just scoping out the place. We got lost and it turned dark, pretty damn early too. No one told us the sun sets at Four around here.' Dean said.  
'What are you investigating then? The air, the water?'  
'All of it.' Sam said.  
'Yeah? You're trying to figure out what's killing everyone? You're not going to find it up here.' She hissed  
'Okay, well where will we find it then?' Dean asked her.  
'You wouldn't understand.' She shook her head.  
'We might.' Sam offered.  
'Alright.' She took a step back from Sam and lowered her knife. He took a deep breath and put his hand to his sore throat. 'But I want to know what your names are.' She said taking another step back from Sam. Dean walked closer towards her as he pointed his gun back towards the ground.  
'Well, this is my associate Mr. Peter Townsend, and my name is Keith, Keith Moon.' Dean began as he started to fish for his badge.  
'I don't think so.' She shook her head. 'Nice try though.'  
'What are you talking about.' Dean tried to play dumb.  
'I have a masters degree in Music Theory. You think I don't know who 'The Who' are?'  
'Nice.' Sam shook his head with disappointment. 'Why don't you ever pick obscure names?'  
'What?' Dean questioned his brother. 'How was I supposto know crazy woods girl was a classic rock fan?'  
'I'm going to ask you again nicely, and then I'm going to get real angry.' She hissed, her voice getting louder and louder as she spoke. 'Who are you!?' The sound of her voice stung their ear drums.  
'No, wait!' A girls voice called from one of the hotel windows. 'Colleen, it's okay.' She assured her.  
'What? No, it's not okay. Stay in the house Nicole.' Colleen shook her head with frustration. Her sister ran out of the front door and over to where the three were standing. She had long black curly hair and was wearing a white flowing dress. Her appearance was a stark contrast to her sisters. She was barefoot and seemed to almost float across the air. There was something mystical about her, there was something different about both of the girls.  
'I'm so sorry.' She addressed Sam and Dean. They stared back at her with confusion. 'My sister is very protective over our home.' Nicole noticed the blade that Colleen still gripped in her right hand. 'She didn't threaten you did she?' She asked the brothers.  
'Actually she did.' Dean smirked at Colleen.  
'Oh no. Colleen, you have to learn to control your temper.' She scolded her sister.  
'Control my temper? I should have just let them break into the house?'  
'They weren't going to break into the house.' Nicole smiled warmly.  
'No, we wouldn't do that.' Sam repeated. 'We were just looking.'  
'Yes, they were just looking.' Nicole smiled.  
'I can't believe this.' Colleen shook her head in astonishment. Dean chuckled at her displeasure.  
'Please, let me introduce myself. ' Nicole presented her hand to Sam and Dean. 'My name is Nicole and this is my younger sister Colleen.' Both boys shook Nicole's hand. 'I'm so sorry if she was aggressive with you. It's hard being out here in the woods alone.'  
'Why are you out here all by yourselves, in this massive hotel.' Dean looked back up towards looming hotel. 'What do you got there six floors?'  
'Yes.' Nicole smiled. 'It belonged to our parents before they died.'  
'Why are you telling them all of this?' Colleen asked her sister.  
'Because they are our guests.'  
'I don't remember inviting them.' Colleen scoffed her right hand planted firmly on her hip. She watched Sam and Dean with suspicion. 'We don't even know who they are. We know they're not from the EPA. And we know they aren't British rock stars.'  
'British rock stars?' Nicole questioned her.  
'Forget it.' Colleen sighed heavily.  
'Anyway, it's fine. I know who they are. This is Sam.' She said pointing to Sam. Sam nodded his head in agreement. 'And you, you must be Dean.' She smiled widely. 'Quite handsome.'  
'Thanks.' Dean smiled back, a slight blush showed itself on his cheeks.  
'Um...' Sam interrupted. 'Can I ask, how do you know who we are?'  
'I know all about the both of you. Brothers who fight against the evil of this world. Childhood innocence interrupted when your mother was savagely taken from you. ' She put her hand up to fan her face. 'We lost our parents too. It's dreadful.'  
'Okay.' Dean put his hand up to signal Nicole to stop talking. 'But how do you know all of that.'  
'You are famous hunters. You don't give yourselves enough credit.' She ran her fingers through her long black hair. 'Plus, I tend to know about these things more than your average girl in America.'  
'What are you some kind of psychic?' Sam asked.  
'Not quite. I did summon the two of you here though. I sang for you.' Nicole cooed.  
'You're kidding.' Colleen shook her head. 'You brought them here?'  
'I did.' She smiled proud of herself. ' I told you we needed to do something more drastic. We are in real trouble.' She turned away from her sister ignoring her concern. 'Sam and Dean, we need you.' She pleaded to them.  
'No, we don't.' Colleen interjected sternly. 'Sister, can I speak to you in private for a minute.'  
'No.' She answered firmly. 'I went through a lot of trouble to get them here.'  
'Don't you think you should have talked to me about this first?'  
'So you could just tell me why it's not a good idea. I couldn't risk that.'  
'You always do this!' Colleen shouted. 'I can't stand it anymore!'  
'Hey, hey. Excuse me ladies, but do you want to have a family squabble some other time.' Dean interjected. 'I'd just figure out what's going on here?'  
'Excuse me. But we don't.' She sighed hard. 'Are you always this rude?'  
'Oh I'm sorry. I'm the rude one? You're just you're the picture of manners and hospitality, putting a knife to my brothers throat.'  
'You were trespassing! And you, you tried to shoot me in the head!' She shouted back at him.  
'Enough! Please!' Nicole cried out. 'Will the two of you stop and let me explain.'  
'Go ahead.' Dean shook his head.  
'Okay. What I was trying to tell you is that I have this ability.' Nicole began explaining more calmly. 'I'm able to facilitate the appearance of specific things into my life. This includes people. That's what I meant by I sang for you, I called you here with my song. My mother had the same ability.'  
'So you're a siren.' Sam clarified.  
'No. I don't consider myself a Siren. Siren's bring death. That's not what I do. I called you here because I need your help. Were losing our fight against the Shadow People. I feel like they are getting stronger and more prevalent recently. We've tried everything we can on our own. Calling the two of you here was my last hope.'  
'Listen lady, I don't appreciate you forcing us here.' Dean shook his head.  
'I didn't force it. I just put the suggestion deep in your subconscious. I planted little hints to bring you to Shadow Creek. It's not foolproof, If you really didn't want to come you wouldn't have.'  
'Little hints?' Sam clarified. 'Like the newspaper Dean found in our hotel room?'  
'Yes. I made it so that the local newspaper would make it's way into your life, and it would entice your curiosity.'  
'That makes sense.' Sam smiled. 'I knew there was no way Dean was doing research for a job just because it peaked his interest.'  
'Great, you're so smart Sam.' Dean grumbled. He watched Colleen out of the corner of his eye. He didn't trust her. She sat down on a tree stump and kicked at the dirt.  
'So, do you want to come inside, we have a lot to talk about. I've got some fresh picked berries, and I can make some tea if you'd like. Or would you like something more substantial, we have all sorts of food.' She smiled.  
'No offense, but there's no way I'm following a Siren and a Banshee into some Amityville Horror hotel in the middle of the woods.' Dean cracked.  
'You're so ignorant.' Colleen mumbled under her breath.  
'I really think that once you spend some time with us you will change your mind.' Nicole spoke eloquently keeping calm.  
'Spend some time with you?' Dean raised his eyebrows. 'Are you going to explain to us how the two of you are luring people out to the woods and killing them. And then making everyone think there's some clan of Shadow People lurking in the darkness picking off the towns population one by one.'  
'No you idiot.' Colleen stood up walking closer to Dean. 'The Shadow People are real. And if it wasn't for us, they would have overtaken this whole town by now.'  
'That's funny, cause we've been out here for hours and we haven't seen anything.' He retorted.  
'Well it must be your blind ignorance that kept you safe. And, who told you we were killing people?'  
'He just means, the bartender's son seemed to have a lot of strong opinions about the two of you.' Sam began.  
'That's right.' Dean glared at her. 'He said that your voice brings death. That when you scream it can stop someone's heart.'  
'That's why you called me a banshee?'  
'Yup.'  
'Jack said all of that? ' Colleen shook her head .Her face seemed to fall in sadness. 'After all our family did for them.'  
'Tough break.' Dean laughed.  
'You know what you better be careful, cause I feel like I could scream right now.' She turned back to Dean staring him down.  
'Oh, I'll be careful alright.' He smiled as he tried to rile her up even more.  
'Please, we aren't the enemy here.' Nicole pleaded. 'The Shadow people have taken over these woods. If you won't help us we will die, and so will everyone else in this town.' Out of the corner of their eyes a large dark shadow moved quickly across the horizon.  
'Did you see that?' Dean gasped.  
'That's right. They're coming for you.' Colleen quickly turned another flashlight on as she pointed it towards the trees.  
'Don't scare them.' Nicole scolded. 'That makes it worse.'  
'Were not scared.' Dean lied.  
'There's another one of them.' Sam pointed to his left. He felt his blood run cold.  
'Yes, and the longer we stay out here, the more of them will show up. And we wont' be able to fend them off with flashlights. Quickly, we need to get into the house.' Nicole urged them.  
'Wait a minute.' Dean began. 'I'm not going in there.'  
'Listen, we have the house secured, it's your only chance at survival.' Colleen informed them. 'If you don't listen to us now you won't make it out of these woods.'  
'No.' Dean took a step back from the girls. 'I don't trust you.'  
'Fine. Die, see if I care.' She turned around and headed for the large double doors. She pulled the heavy handle and disappeared into the large dark hotel without looking back.  
'Dean, maybe they're right. We don't know how to fight these creatures yet.' Sam tried to reason with his brother. Another dark shadow passed by them.  
'Please, you have to trust us.' Nicole urged Sam and Dean. She stood next to the door. 'Come inside.'  
'I don't like this.' Dean looked around the woods began to darken even more.

'I'm going inside.' Sam said as he opened the front door. Dean stood a foot away from the large wooden entrance, his eyes scanned the horizon, he saw flashes of black figures moving faster towards the front yard of the hotel. He felt his pulse quicken and a sense of dread washed over him. He looked towards the entrance of the hotel. A thick layer of salt was spread across the ground. He sighed and pulled the door open, he slipped inside. The door slammed loudly behind him. He pressed his back firmly against the door and looked around. The hotel was very dark. He took a minute to allow his eyes to adjust to he darkness. He was standing alone in a large foyer. A grand metal chandelier hung above his head, he studied the intricate patterns on it for a minute. All of the light bulbs were missing and it was covered in dust and cobwebs. He pulled the flashlight out of his brown leather jacket and shined it around the room. There was a massive staircase headed up to the second floor of the hotel. He looked at the now stained red carpeting that lead up the steps. The hotel looked sad, but there was evidence that it was once beautiful. He saw trinkets and amulets hanging from window sills, all tools used for protection against evil. He took a few steps into a large living area, an old baby grand piano sat covered in dust. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he walked.

'Dean. Dean are you in here?' Nicole's voice echoed in Dean's ear. He turned his head to the right and began walking forward.  
'Where are you?' He called out as he walked back to the foyer.  
'Were in the kitchen.' She informed him. He shined his flashlight ahead of him, it sounded as if Nicole was standing right next to him. 'Keep walking straight through three more rooms and you will find us.' He did as he was instructed looking around. Each room he walked through was more exquisite than the last. Most of the furniture was covered in dust and more protective items.  
'Dean, are you lost? Keep walking forward.' Nicole's voice rang through the air like a sweet song. He followed the sound of her voice until he found himself in the kitchen. The kitchen was again massive in size. There was a large wooden island in the middle of the room that he found his brother sitting at. The kitchen was the only room that looked like it had been lived in. All of the appliances were industrial sized. The refrigerator was about ten feet tall and five feet wide. There was a large open window behind the sink. Herbs of all different kinds hung dangled from the window. There were plants and amulets hanging as well. Small tincture bottles lined the large greenhouse window.


	3. Chapter 3

'This is some house.' Dean marveled at the hotel.  
'That's too kind of you.' Nicole thanked him. 'Can I get you anything?' He looked at his brother who was blissfully sitting down at the old wooden table. He had a large pewter glass and plate sitting in front of him.  
'Sure.' Dean agreed, he no longer felt anxious inside the hotel. There were candles lit all over the room, they burned brightly. On the opposite side of the kitchen was a large brick fireplace. Colleen knelt next to the fireplace crumpling up old newspapers.  
'How about something to drink?' She asked him again.  
'Okay. I'll take whatever you have.' Dean felt his sense of calm intensifying with every word Nicole said. The house was warm, and the glow of the candles made him feel good. He wondered if his feelings were real or if it was some sort of spell. He walked over to the fireplace to watch Colleen. 'You don't have electricity here?' He asked her.  
'We do.' She lit a match and threw it into the fireplace. A large flame began burning up the newspaper. She stacked small wooden sticks above the fire.  
'You have electricity? You just don't like using it?' He asked.  
'No. We use it.' She continued stacking sticks and small logs in the fire.  
'Alright well, If you have electricity and you use it what's with all the god damn candles?'  
'Colleen has trouble with glass.' Nicole interjected. 'We have electricity but we don't' have light bulbs. They have a tendency to break.' She handed Dean a cold beer and walked back to stove where she was preparing grilled cheese sandwiches.  
'Ah.' Dean laughed. 'All that banshee screaming right?'  
'Something like that.' Colleen answered him flatly.  
'Wow, that's too bad. You know, maybe your sister is right.' He smiled at Colleen. He twisted off the top of his beer and took a long sip. 'You should learn to control your temper, then you'd have light bulbs like a normal person.' He taunted her.  
'Is that so?' She glared at Dean. 'You're no different than I am. I can see that.'  
'You think so?' He brushed her off.  
'Yeah, I know so. I bet you lose your temper at a drop of a hat.' She stood up and faced him.  
'That's true Dean.' Sam added.  
'Shut up Sam.' Dean snapped. He could feel the anger inside of him rising.  
'I bet all you need is someone to push the right button.' She leaned closer to him, her breath exhaled hot near his skin. 'Someone to say the wrong thing that just sets you off. I bet you explode the same way I do. You start to feel your blood pressure rising, your fists tightening, your breath is labored and shallow.' She watched as the physical changes she described in Dean began happening to him. 'Isn't that right Dean? You're no better than I am, so don't even pretend. ' Dean narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a dirty look. He bit his lip hard.  
'What the hell is going on? ' Sam shook his head. 'Would the two of you stop it, you're like children.'  
'She started it.' Dean grumbled.  
'And I ended it too.' She smiled proud of herself for riling him up.  
'We'll see about that.' He retorted.  
'No, we won't.' Nicole put a soft hand on Dean's shoulder. 'Don't let her get to you Dean, why don't you have a seat over here. Have something to eat and I'll tell you a little more about the history of our woods.' She pulled a bunch of books from under the table and opened them.  
'Where did you get all those?' Sam looked at the old leather bound books.  
'Oh, I'm the librarian at Shadow Creek library, I've collected many books over the years. These ones have all been discontinued, but there is some really useful history in them.'  
'Wait, you're the local librarian?' Dean asked surprised that she worked in town.  
'I have been since I graduated from school.'  
'What about her?' He asked pointing to Colleen. 'Let me guess, Sunday School teacher?'  
'Real funny.' She replied rolling her eyes at Dean.  
'No seriously, do you do anything besides run around the woods all day like some kind of rabid animal?'  
'Fuck you Dean, you don't know anything about me.'  
'Oh yeah? I bet I do.' He smiled.  
'Why don't you mind your own business.' She stood up and grabbed a big white candle.  
'Ooh. Looks like you can dish it out, but you can't take it.' He laughed at her.  
'I don't need to take it from you.' She shook her head.  
'Where are you going?' Nicole asked her with surprise.  
'I'll be in my room, I don't need to be here for this.' She walked out of the room quickly. Sam turned to Dean giving him an exasperating look. They heard Colleen's footsteps echoed throughout the house. Everyone was silent listening to her go.

'Nice Job Dean.' Sam shook his head.  
'What? How was I to know that was going to set her off. I didn't realize she was so sensitive.' Dean apologized.  
'My sister has been through a lot. You have to realize her abilities are a little less socially acceptable then mine. She hasn't been able to hold down a job since graduating from college. She wanted to be a music producer, she's incredibly talented, the whole thing is kind of her sore spot. She's had a lot of trouble with other people. People are afraid of her. It's hard to keep friends, when the sound of your voice shatters glass.' Nicole smiled.  
'That's awful. Why are they afraid of her?' Sam asked for clarification.  
'Well, my ability to use my voice, to calm and attract others is not something that people fear. It's something I've been able to cultivate privately. Colleen's voice has been a less private matter for her, it's made social interaction very difficult. People don't really understand. It's not her fault though, she can't control it.'  
'How long have the two of you been this way?' Sam stared into her eyes mesmerized by her words.  
'Well.' She turned and smiled sweetly at them. She stood up and walked over to the stove to bring Sam his sandwich. 'My mother had similar abilities to mine. She told us that we were different than other girls, and that we may develop some abilities that were unique. She was right, we both aquired our abilities on our 21st birthdays. It was an easier transition for me than it was for my sister.'  
'I bet.' Sam nodded.  
'If I could trade powers with Colleen I would. It's hard for her, she was so angry after my parents died. I think in way she still is angry.' She stopped speaking and sighed deeply. 'So much rage, so much destruction. The wailing in the middle of the night, the sound is awful, and it echoes throughout the entire house. She's so embarrassed by it.'  
'That's terrible.' Sam groaned. 'How often does it happen?'  
'It seems to only happen when something terrible is about to happen. She can feel it subconsciously and the feeling of dread escapes out of her throat. It's like she experiences each and every death that happens in these woods.'  
'That's the worst thing I've ever heard.' Dean shook his head in disbelief. 'I didn't realize she went through all of that. ' Dean began feeling badly about the way he taunted her.  
'That's okay. I know you didn't mean to upset her. My sister may come off a little scary but really she had a warm soul. She wants to believe the best about people, it's just not as easy for her as it is for me.'  
'I'll say something to her tomorrow.' Dean sipped the rest of his beer. "I'll apologize.'  
'I'm sure she'll appreciate that.' Nicole beamed. She walked back to the stove and began cooking Dean's sandwich. 'So, let me start at the beginning. There are many theories as to what shadow people are. Some say they are ghosts. Others think they are some kind of inter dimensional beings, or time travelers. I've even read that some people think they might be demons.'  
'I'm telling you right now they aren't demons.' Dean assured her. 'We know demons.'  
'No, I don't think they're demons either.' She pulled out a few coffee mugs and place tea bags into them. She moved quickly and effortlessly around the kitchen like a spirit. Both Dean and Sam watched her closely. 'People say they are a manifestation of a ghost or a past haunting. But the thing is, we've done everything it says to do when dealing with ghosts. We've ignored them, tried to talk to them, told them to leave, nothing works.'  
'I don't think this sounds like normal ghost behavior.' Sam offered.  
'So you think they could be from another dimension?' She asked him. 'People who are all around us but we don't necessarily have the ability to see them all the time.'  
'Creepy.' Dean shivered.  
'It is creepy.' She agreed. 'There are a lot of physics books in the attic, I used to read them when I was little. Books that talked about the fifth dimension.' She poured hot water into the coffee mugs and handed them to Sam and Dean.  
'The fifth dimension? Like from the Twilight Zone?' Dean asked.  
'Something like that.' She giggled. 'The fifth dimension is a hypothetical extra dimension. It is beyond the usual three spatial dimensions, and the one time dimension of reality.' She sat down at the table across from the boys. They watched her speak intently.  
'Okay.' Sam nodded his head in agreement.  
'Well, certain theories in physics suggests that space-time has eleven dimensions. Seven of them are 'rolled up' to below the subatomic level. Physicists say that the gravitation particle, thought to carry the force of gravity may 'leak into the fifth dimension'. This would explain how gravity is significantly weaker than the other three fundamental forces.' Sam and Dean stared at her with wide eyes.  
'Okay.' Dean took a deep breath. 'So, what does that mean in English?'  
'It basically means we think that there is a space called the fifth dimension and in that space certain forces can enter and exit without our knowledge.'  
'Forces like other life beings.' Sam added.  
'Supposedly.' She nodded her head.  
'Well I think that's a good start. It makes more sense than any other supernatural explanation.' Sam agreed.  
'Sure Sammy.' Dean shook his head. 'It makes perfect sense.'  
'Like I said, I don't really know any of this for sure.' Nicole said as she put Dean's sandwich on a plate. 'All I know is that they come out whenever it's dark and it feels like they're all around us. I feel like we're running out of time, they're making the darkness grow more and more every day. I'm scared for the day that all we have is darkness and the Shadow People take over this place.'  
'Don't worry.' Dean assured her. 'Whatever they are, were going to fight them, and were going to win.'  
'I hope you're right.' She took a long sip of her tea. 'I really do.'

Dean awoke in the middle of the night to the feeling that he was beingwatched again. His eyes shot open and darted around the room. He was alone, or at least it looked that way at first. He sat silently as he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He took quiet deep breaths as he looked around. His hand moved underneath his pillow where his gun rested. He gripped the metal handle tightly. Then he saw a tall figure standing by the window. His eyes widened as she came into focus. He felt calm as soon as he realized it was Nicole. He let go of his grip on the gun, as she began to glide across the floor towards him. He wondered what she was doing in his room. Nicole's thick long black hair seemed to glisten in the moonlight, as she moved. Her movements were quick and effortless. He took a few steps back until his knees rested against the mattress. She moved closer to him till she stood in front of him. He felt his body responding to her presence, as he reached his hand out to her. She was wearing a light yellow dress. Her pale skin contrasted against her hair and made it look like porcelain. She didn't speak a word but she let Dean grip onto the soft material of her dress pulling her closer. She ran her fingertips through his thick hair, and it sent shivers down his spine. She pushed his body back onto the bed and then crawled on top of him. The warmth of her body instantly eased any tension built up in his muscles. She moved her hands up the sides of Dean's stomach, gripping and pulling at his skin. She pulled his shirt up over his head in one smooth movement.  
'What are you doing in here?' He whispered. Once again she didn't speak, she put her hand up to his mouth to signal him to be quiet. She brushed her hand against his face and softly pressed her lips against his. The taste of her sweet mouth lit a fire inside of Dean. Her hands reached down and gripped the flesh on his hip bones. He reached frantically for her dress and pulled at it. She pushed his arms forcefully against the mattress and placed her lips on his stomach. A feeling of excitement came over Dean and he closed his eyes tightly.

'Baaam!' Dean shot out of bed with a start. He took a deep breath and adjusted his eyes to the bright sun pouring through his bedroom window. He turned to his right and then to his left. He was alone in his room. He listened quietly for any evidence that there was someone else in his room. Everything was silent. He took a deep breath and shook his head. 'What the hell was that?' He spoke out loud to himself. He heard the loud noise again and realized it was someone slamming doors. He laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, attempting to get back to his dreams. Another door slammed and he jumped again. He climbed out of bed and walked to the doorway. He opened the door and peered down the hallway. No one was around. He walked down the hallway and down the stairs towards the kitchen. It was warm and bright as the few hours of daylight shined through the large windows. Sam was sitting at the table with a smile on his face. He quietly sipped his coffee. Dean's eyes widened at the sign of chocolate chip pancakes on the table.  
'Dean.' Sam waived him across the room. 'Are you hungry?'  
'What kind of question is that? Of course I'm hungry.' Dean happily sat down next to his brother and piled 4 pancakes onto a plate. He poured syrup onto he pancakes and shoved them into his mouth. They melted in his mouth. 'Who made these?' Dean asked him.  
'Nicole did. I came down an hour ago and she was in the kitchen preparing them. Apparently they wake up really early because of the early darkness. She's outside I think.'  
'And the doors?'  
'What doors?'  
'I woke up to the sound of slamming doors.'  
'Oh, yeah. I don't know what that was. I was in here eating.'  
'There are some weird things going on in this house.' Dean took a sip of his brothers coffee.  
'Get you're own coffee.' Sam put his hand over the top of the mug. 'I'm serious. There is a whole pot right over there. Don't be so damn lazy.'  
'Fine fine.' Dean got up to pour himself a cup of coffee. He kept thinking about his vivid dream from last night. 'Sammy, I got to tell you, I had some pretty intense dreams last night.' Dean couldn't help but smile as he replayed the scenes in his mind. He walked back to the table next to his brother and began shoving food into his mouth.  
'That's weird that you said that. I did too.' Sam turned skeptically to look at his brother, noticing his smile. 'What did you dream about?'  
'It's more like who. Who did I dream about.' He smiled widely. Dean laughed to himself and took another sip of his coffee. 'It just felt so real.' He took a deep breath and smiled again.  
'Wait a minute.' Sam put his fork down. 'Which girl was it?' They were interrupted by the sound of the kitchen door opening.  
'Good morning.' Nicole stepped into the kitchen from the back yard. Sam and Dean stopped speaking and stared at her.  
'Good morning.' Dean greeted her. He nodded his head at Sam letting him know it was Nicole he had dreamt about. Sam nodded his head back. Nicole moved smoothly across the room her long dress flowing at her calves.  
'Good morning.' Sam's eyes widened as realized she was wearing the same dress from his dream. He turned to look at his brother. They exchanged a look in reference to her outfit.  
'How do you like the pancakes?' She asked the both of them.  
'They're wonderful.' Sam gushed.  
'Yeah. Really good.' Dean stared back at her with excitement.  
'Oh, Good I'm glad. And did you boys sleep well last night?' She asked. Dean smirked back to his brother.  
'Very well thank you.' Sam squeaked out the words.  
'Oh Good!' She gushed. 'You know, I really appreciate the two of you agreeing to help us.' Nicole beamed. 'I know you were skeptical at first. I'm glad you changed your minds.'  
'It's really our pleasure.' Dean continue to smile widely at her.  
'I've got some things to do around the house before I head to the library today. You should stop by later on and I'll show you some of the articles I saved about Saddle Creek Hills.'  
'That would be great.' Sam agreed.  
'Okay. Well, enjoy the rest of your breakfast.' She bid them farewell as she went back outside.

Dean finished his breakfast and decided to explore the hotel while Sam took a shower. He wandered around to the different rooms on the first floor. He looked at the pictures on the walls and inspected the various signs and symbols all over the hotel put up as protection. He made his way down to the basement. Each step creaked under his feet as he walked. At the bottom of the stairs he found that the basement was separated into many different rooms. There was an industrial laundry room, a room filled with excess dining room furniture and a workshop. He heard the sound of music coming from the far right corner. There was an insulated room with the door closed. He knocked on the door. Colleen's voice on the other side permitted him entrance inside. He turned the doorknob, it led into a large well lit room. A large light fixture hung from the ceiling where three light bulbs burned brightly. The walls were covered in shelves of records. He looked around the room, there was a strange mixture of tools, weapons and musical equipment. The floor was covered in thick plush carpeting. Colleen stepped out of the corner of the room, her eyes burning deep at Dean. She had tight black jeans and black tank top on. Her engineer boots matted down the carpet as she walked. She continued to stare at him in a questioning manner.  
'Hey.' He smiled. 'You've got light bulbs.' He pointing excitedly to the ceiling.  
'Yeah, this is the only place I've never broken a bulb.' She nodded her head.  
'You've got a pretty bad ass set up down here.' He said looking around. There were large collections of stereo equipment, amplifiers and instruments piled around the room.  
'Thanks.' She said. 'It's all just stuff I've collected over the years.'  
'So, what do you play?' He asked looking at the instruments.  
'Everything.'  
'Yeah? Do you spend most of your time down here?' He pointed to a stool. 'Do you mind if I sit down?' He asked.  
'I suppose so.' She walked closer to Dean. 'I used to write a lot of music, but I haven't been writing much lately.'  
'Why not?'  
'I don't know. I just have more important things to worry about these days.' She sighed and sat down on a rickety wooden stool near Dean. 'You know, like making sure that my sister and I stay alive.'  
'Yeah.' He nodded in agreement. 'I know what that's like.' He watched the expression on Colleen's face remain stoic. He watched as she eyed him suspiciously.  
'So, are you sure you should be down here with me?' She asked him. 'I thought you didn't trust me.'  
'Look, you can't blame me for being a little uneasy, you did just threaten to slit my brothers throat when I said that.' Dean began.  
'I'm sorry Dean.' She shook her head. 'But I really don't feel like arguing with you. That's not what this space is for.'  
'No, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't meant hat. I really came down here to apologize for all the stuff I said yesterday. I can be a little rough around the edges. I don't always think about what I'm saying before I say it.'  
'That's a shocker.' She rolled her eyes at him.  
'I really am sorry though. Can we call a truce?' He smiled widely trying to get her to laugh. She turned her head away from him trying to hide her smile. 'Come on, you know you want to forgive me.'  
'Did my sister tell you to apologize to me?' She asked her head still turned away from him.  
'No.' He shook his head emphatically. 'I just wanted to. And you know, it's not something I usually do, so if you don't except my apology I may never say I'm sorry for another thing in my life.'  
'Well.' She turned back to face him with a smile forming on her face. 'I wouldn't want that. Apology accepted.' She walked over to the record player on the opposite side of the room. She sorted though some old records and selected one to put on the turntable. The haunting twang of the blues echoed through the speakers.  
'So, how long have you been in this house with your sister?'  
'We've been up here alone for the past 13 years. That's when my parent's died, within 3 months of each other. They found both of them at the bottom of the hill. I was 15, Nicole was 19.'  
'That's when the hotel closed?' He asked. His eyes spied a small mini fridge on the ground near his foot. He tapped on it. 'What do you got in that thing?'  
'Are you still hungry? Didn't you just eat breakfast?'  
'I mean, I could always eat.'  
'It's just beer.' She informed him.  
'Even better.'  
'You're really unbelievable.' She laughed at him.  
'Back to what you were saying about the hotel, it closed after your parents died?'  
'Officially, yes. It was just too much for the two of us to run on our own. After that I dropped out of high school, took my GED and went off to Berkley.' She handed Dean a cold beer bottle.  
'You went to college at fifteen?' He asked taking a sip of the beer.  
'Yeah. Nicole went to college at fifteen as well.'  
'Wow.'  
'Is that weird? What age did you go to college?'  
'Never mind that.' He brushed off her question.  
'Anyway, closing the hotel was really just a formality. The hotel had been in decline for about five years before that time. That's coincidentally when the attacks in the woods started becoming more frequent.'  
'So the two of you have lived here your entire life.'  
'Yeah. My mom inherited the hotel from the original owner, Mr. Marshall. My grandmother was a maid here when she gave birth to my mom. Mr. Marshall was very good to them. He adored my mother, even after my grandmother died he took care of her. When he died she inherited the hotel and ran it with my dad.'  
'Wait, so did the original owners death happen to be around the time the hotel started failing?'  
'Maybe a year or two after that. Everyone said that my parents were at fault, that they weren't good business people. But really Mr. Marshall was so sick the last few years of his life, my parents ran the place by themselves.' She sat back down on the stool near Dean. She sipped her beer as she thought. 'You know what I can't figure out, why Jack would tell you that we were the problem in this town.'  
'I don't know.'  
'It's just that his father Andy, who runs the bar, grew up in the hotel too. He grew up with my mom, they were very close. Mr. Marshall took Andy in when he was very young, he was an orphan. Mr. Marshall let him live here and he worked in hotel until Mr. Marshall died. That's when my mother gave him a large sum of money to start his own business. She felt badly because Mr. Marshall raised him, but left the inheritance to my mother.'  
'The plot thickens.' Dean smiled to himself.  
'Hey, Dean.' Sam's voice echoed from the top of the stairs. 'Are you down there?'  
'Yeah. I'm down here.' He yelled back. 'The room on the right.' Sam walked down to where they were and stuck his head in the door.  
'Hey guys.' Sam greeted them. 'Wow. Look at all this stuff.' He marveled at the collection.  
'Yeah, it's just some stuff she's collected here and there.' Dean mocked her modesty earlier.  
'Dean!' She gasped. Her eyes lit up. 'Are you making fun of me again, so soon after you apologized?' A big smile spread across her face.  
'No. I would never do that.' Dean defended himself.  
'I think you would.' She reached over to smack him hard on the shoulder. 'You're the worst!'  
'What!?' He put his hand to his shoulder pretending to be in pain. 'Sammy, do you see this violence?' Dean grabbed Colleen's hand, and pulled her forward off the stool. She stumbled forward onto Dean's lap laughing. A wide smile spread across Dean's face as he pulled the beer out of her hand. 'You almost spilled this!' He scolded her.  
'You almost killed me!' She continued swatting at him.  
'Oh, please. You're fine!' He laughed propping her back up to a standing position. The two of them continued to laugh.  
'Well, it's good to see the two of you have made up.' Sam smiled uncomfortably. 'Um.. Dean we should head into town today. I think we need to get some more information from Andy and Jack at the bar.'  
'I agree. And, thanks to Colleen I've got even more information about them.'  
'Great.' Sam smiled.  
'I'll tell you about it in the car.' Dean stood up and swallowed the rest of his beer. 'Thanks for the beer.'  
'No problem.' Colleen replied.

Sam and Dean drove back into town, this time there were more people around the square. They parked in front of the bar and peeked into the window. There were decorations hung from the ceiling and colorful tablecloths on the tables. 'Looks like they're trying to spruce up the place.' Dean said.  
'Did you see this?' Sam pulled a flyer off the door of the bar. 'Jack's 21st birthday celebration. Tonight at 4pm. Be prepared to stay all night.' Sam studied the flyer. 'That's odd. So, once they get here they have to stay all night?'  
'I guess. People in this town are really scared of the dark.'  
'Well, they are being stalked by creepy inter dimensional beings.' Sam shrugged his shoulders.  
'I suppose your right. So you want to crash the party?'  
'Absolutely.'

Sam and Dean walked around for the rest of the afternoon, they attempted to talk to people but found that most people were pretty unfriendly and tended to keep to themselves. Everyone walked around like they were trying to hide a secret. The boys visited Nicole at the library and tried to find more information about the Shadow people. They sat down to eat a half hour before Jack's party was set to begin. They found themselves walking into a little restaurant. They took a seat in the back of the place.  
'So about this whole inter dimensional being thing.' Dean began. 'Do you really think that's what Shadow People are?'  
'Yeah, I do. Just because we can only see in three dimensions doesn't mean that others don't exist. I mean there could be other beings around us at all times, it's just that we can't see them. Or in this case we can only sort of see them.'  
'Well they can definitely see us.'  
'Yeah. I was reading one book that seemed to have a lot of information, and it said that the Shadow people are a kind of subordinate being from another dimension.'  
'Subordinate meaning they are under the control of someone else?' Dean leaned back in the booth scanning the room for the waitress.  
'Right. There is usually a higher being that they take orders from. Someone stronger that tells them what to do.'  
'You think that person lives around here?' Dean asked.  
'It makes sense. It's got to be someone who's been here for a long time, someone who is angry at the people of this town.'  
'You don't think it could be one of the girls do you?' Dean asked.  
'I can't rule it out, but I don't think so.' An older woman began walking up to their booth.  
'What can I get for you boys?' She asked slowly.  
'I'll have a chili dog with fries and a coke.' Dean ordered.  
'Is that all?' She asked in a monotone voice.  
'Maybe I'll have a milkshake too. Vanilla.'  
'And for you?' She continued scribbling words on to a small notebook.  
'I'll have a chicken sandwich with water.' Sam ordered.  
'Wonderful.' She walked back to kitchen to put in their orders.  
'So, how are we going to figure out who is controlling them?' Dean asked his brother.  
'I'm not sure yet. Were going to have to just keep our eyes open. I have a feeling people around here know more about all of this then they are letting on.'  
'I get that feeling too.' A few minutes later the waitress came by with their food. Both boys happily ate their meals all the while figuring a plan to get Jack to open up and tell them more. Dean thought about what Colleen had said earlier about Andy growing up in the hotel and moving out to open his own bar. He knew there was more to the story, he also knew that Andy wouldn't talk to him about it. The bell on the front door began to clang. Dean turned to look as Colleen was walking in. She was wearing a short red dress, with a black leather jacket over it. She had on fishnet tights and black cowboy boots. Her hair was teased up and she had makeup on. Sam and Dean turned to look at her. She was breathing hard and had a look of excitement on her face. She rushed over to the boys table, pushing Dean over in his side of the booth. She snatched a few French fries from his plate and put them into her mouth. Dean stared back at her, she smelled of citrus and baby powder.  
'Well, hello.' Dean raised his eyebrows surprised by her appearance. 'What happened to you?'  
'What do you mean?' she asked frowning at him.  
'I mean you look like a real girl.'  
'You're such an asshole.' She groaned at him. She picked a few more French fries off of Dean's plate. Both brothers watched her skeptically.' So, you guys are just constantly eating aren't you?'  
'Not constantly.' Dean shook his head.  
'Well it sure seems like it.' she laughed to herself.  
'Um... Colleen.' Sam began. 'What are you doing here?'  
'I saw you guys in the window and thought I'd stop in.'  
'Okay, but what are you all dressed up for?' He continued.  
'Oh, I'm going to that party tonight.'  
'You're going to Jack's party?' Sam asked with surprise. 'Do you think that's a good idea?'  
'Yeah, why not?' She quickly brushed off Sam's concern. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a tube of red lipstick. She reached across the table and grabbed the stainless steel napkin dispenser. She held the dispenser up to her face and used it as a mirror painting her lips red.  
'Wasn't it you that was all bent out of shape about all the stuff Jack said about you and Nicole?' Dean asked her.  
'I'm over it.' She lied.  
'Yeah, but we have to get information from Jack about his father's connection to your family. You know, about his dad growing up in the hotel and his relationship to the owner.' Dean said  
'What was his name again?' Sam asked.  
'Mr. Marshall. Thomas Marshall.' She answered him.  
'Right, Thomas Marshall. I feel like he's the connection here. Or at least he was.' Sam scratched his head.  
'You think Mr. Marshall brought these creatures to Shadow Creek hills?'  
'I don't know yet. But I know that Jack has information that will help me piece the story together.' Sam informed her.  
'Okay, well you can still talk to Jack either way.' Colleen dismissed his concern once again.  
'I don't think he's going to be open to us if you are there.' Sam worried out loud.  
'Why not? It's not like I'm going to cause a scene or anything.'  
'Yes you will. You're going there to start a fight. I know, I can see it.' Dean replied sharply.  
'And how are you so sure?' She taunted him.  
'Because.' He paused. 'It's what I'd do. Remember? You and me, were a lot alike.'


	4. Chapter 4

'Well, you're wrong this time.'  
'I don't think so.' He reached down her leg and pulled a knife out of her boot. 'What about this?'  
'That old thing?' She tried to snatch it back from Dean but he held onto it. 'That doesn't mean anything. I always have it on me.'  
'Listen, I think Dean is right.' Sam interjected. 'If you really want to save this town you have to let us do our job.'  
'If I know one thing about Jack, it's that he's a scardey cat. If he doesn't want me there he would never say anything to me. He'll just go along with it. No body in this town says what they really think.' She reached her hand towards Dean. 'Now give me my knife back Dean.'  
'No.' He moved his hand farther away from her reach.  
'It's not fair that I'm stuck in those woods alone all the time. I should be able to go out once in a while.' She pulled out a small metal flask from her jacket and took a sip. 'Can I please have my knife back?'  
'How much of this have you drank already?' Dean asked grabbing the flask out of her hands. He shook it realizing t was almost empty.  
'Oh relax, it wasn't filled to the top in the fist place. Since when are you such a boy scout? I thought that was Sam's role.'  
'Okay, why don't I just take you home?' Sam suggested.  
'Because I don't want to go home.'  
'Tonight is the only night we will have the opportunity to talk to Jack.' Sam continued. 'I really think we will have more success if you aren't there.'  
'But I'm already dressed.' She lamented picking more food off of Dean's plate. 'I thought you liked my dress Dean.' She taunted him again.  
'I changed my mind.' He answered coldly.  
'You're such a dick.' She snatched the flask back from him. 'No, give me the goddamn knife.'  
'Does your sister know you're here?' Dean asked her.  
'I don't know Dean.' She narrowed her eyes at him. 'Why don't you ask her in your dreams tonight?' She snapped.  
'What is that supposed to mean?' Dean demanded.  
'Wouldn't you like to know.' She stood up from the table.  
'No, where do you think you're going?' He demanded to know as she began to walk away. 'Don't you dare walk away from me.' His voice boomed at her. A smile spread across Colleen's face as she waved to him. 'Don't you want this?' He asked holding up the knife.  
'You hold on to it. I've got another one.' She opened the restaurant door.  
'Wait, you can't go out there by yourself.' Dean shouted.  
'Yeah right.' She waved again. 'I'll see you guys over there.' Both boys watched as she walked out the door and out into the cold dusky evening.  
'Damn it Sam.' Dean clenched his jaw in anger.  
'Listen, I'll deal with her.' Sam suggested. 'If you try to talk to her I'm afraid world war III might break out.' Sam followed Colleen out of the restaurant and into the town square. She was already halfway to the bar. He ran up behind her and grabbed her arm. She turned around quickly, she was surprised to see Sam standing there.

'Sam.' She smiled. 'That's quite a grip you've got there.'  
'Don't do this.' He raised his eye brows looking her sincerely in the eyes.  
'I'm sorry Sam.' She smiled. 'I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but you aren't going to change my mind.' She pulled her arm out of his grip.  
'You have to realize this is a bad idea.' He pleaded with her.  
'I guess so, I'm just tired of all of this. I deserve some fun, some time off. Fighting these Shadow people is like a full time job I can't get away from. Do you know what that's like?'  
'Yes. I know exactly what that's like. I know you're doing this because you're upset. Your sister told us how hard it's been for you growing up the way you did. And trust me I know what that's like, not having a real childhood. Not having any friends at school, feeling like an outsider your whole life.' He sighed. 'I went off to college just so I could feel normal, but that didn't even last. At least you finished school.'  
'Yeah, I finished school just to come back to this godforsaken town. I was going to move to New York. I had an internship with a major record label, I was going to be a famous music producer. But guess what, none of that happened Sam. Here I am stuck here protecting my sister and my home. I'm basically a prisoner in the hotel. Everyone here hates me.' She put her hand to her head and stared at the ground.  
'It doesn't have to be that way. You can still have a normal life. That's what your sister called us here to do. To help you, why won't you let us do what we do?'  
'I don't know. I guess, I don't believe that any of this will work. I don't think that there are any answers out there.' Tears began to stream down her face. 'My sister doesn't know what it's like. She has it so easy. She's beautiful and smart, all she has to do is talk and people fall in love with her.'  
'It's not that simple though.'  
'Let's be honest here, I see the way the both of you look at her.'  
'She's beautiful I admit that, but isn't she kind of manipulating us?' Sam replied.  
'Kind of. But, it only really works if you're open to it. She can't just make anyone do whatever she wants.' Sam studied her face, he thought about Nicole and how he made him and his brother feel.  
'So, what you said back in the restaurant about Dean asking Nicole in his dreams, those weren't dreams were they?'  
'No.' She shook her head.  
'We both had them.'  
'You both wanted to have them.' She sighed. 'Don't you see, she comes to you in the middle of the night and it's technically a dream but you're both experiencing everything.'  
'That's why Dean heard slamming doors isn't it? Because you were trying to wake him up. You didn't want him sleeping with your sister.'  
'What? No. I don't know what you're talking about.'  
'He said he was woken up in the morning by the sound of slamming doors. It was you, you knew what was happening.'  
'No. I don't care about him, that's not what this is about.'  
'Now come on, why don't you be honest. I see the way you look at him.'  
'I don't want to talk about this.' She shook her head. 'Please Sam, you said you would bring me home, will you? I just want to go home now.'  
'Yeah, I will.'  
'Okay. Tell Dean I'm sorry, if that even matters.'  
'It matters.' He assured her.

A blue car pulled up a few feet away from where they were standing. Sam looked at the boy in the drivers seat, he recognized that it was Jack. He put his hand quickly to Colleen's cheek to wipe the tears off of her face. Jack got out of the car and waved to the two of them. Colleen took a deep breath and wiped her face again, a fake smile plastered across her cheeks.  
'Hey guys, what's going on?' Jack greeted the two of them. Jack noticed the flushed appearance of Colleen's face. 'Colleen are you okay?' He asked referring to the tears that still stained her cheek.  
'Oh yeah.' She tried to laugh it off. 'Something flew into my eyes, and then it started watering like crazy! I tried to get it out but...' She wiped her face again, turning to Sam. 'I ruined my makeup didn't I?'  
'It's not that bad.'  
'What a mess I am.' She sighed.  
'So, you're coming to my party tonight?'  
'I was going to, but my eye is burning. I think I'm probably just going to head home.'  
'Oh come on, you have to come. It's going to be a lot of fun. We're going to lock the bar up for the night.'  
'Yeah, I saw that on the flyer.' She attempted to smile.  
'Say you'll come. It would mean a lot to me.' Sam was surprised with Jack's complete opposite reaction to Colleen. He started feeling bad thinking of Colleen at home by herself all night. He figured that if Jack didn't seem to mind her presence that maybe it was alright for her to be at the party.  
'She'll come.' Sam interjected. Colleen looked over at Sam with surprise. He shrugged his shoulders at her.  
'Great.' Jack beamed. 'Is Nicole coming?'  
'I don't know.' Colleen shrugged her shoulders.  
'Wait, isn't that her with that other guy from the EPA?' He asked pointing behind Colleen and Sam. They turned around to see Nicole and Dean walking towards them. Nicole was exquisitely dressed in a long tight black pencil skirt, a white low cut blouse and high heels. Her long hair piled on top of her head, the black curls pouring downwards like perfect tendrils. She held onto Dean's arm for stability as she walked. She had a big smile on her face. Dean looked stoic and aggravated to see Sam and Colleen standing with Jack.  
'Yeah, that's her.' Colleen agreed. 'I guess she is coming tonight, with that other guy from the EPA.' She looked at Sam's face. 'Jack, you've met Sam before right?' She asked him.  
'Sam? I thought you're name was Peter.'  
'Right.' Sam tried to think on his feet. 'My name is Peter. Sam is my middle name.'  
'Yeah.' Colleen laughed uneasily. ' I have this goldfish named Peter, and I thought it would get confusing so I asked Peter what his middle name was. That way we could keep things straight.' Colleen furrowed her brow in embarrassment.  
'Oh, do you prefer to be called Sam?' He asked.  
'Either way. But yeah, I guess Sam works just fine.' Sam bit his lip. 'My partner Keith and I have been up in the woods collecting soil samples. That's where we met the girls.'  
'Great, so you guys are all coming then?'  
'Yeah. If that's alright with you.' Sam smiled.  
'Absolutely. The more the merrier.' Jack patted Sam on the shoulder.  
'Great, well we will meet you in there and toast to your birthday.'  
'Well it's not my birthday yet. 6:00 it will be officially my 21st birthday.'  
'21.' Colleen said taking a deep breath. 'Well, I hope your 21st birthday is better than mine was.'  
'What happened? Did you drink too much?' He asked  
'Something like that.' she lamented thinking about the day she acquired her powers.  
'Well, I'm going to go inside now. I'll see you guys in a few minutes.'  
'Great.' Colleen replied. 'See you in there.' Jack walked away from them with a big smile on his face. They watched as he walked into the bar. All the lights were on and people began to filter through the front door after him.  
'Wow.' Sam marveled. 'He really seemed happy to see you.'  
'I told you he would.'  
'I mean he had some pretty strong things to say about you guys the other night.'  
'All the people in this town are full of shit.' She shook her head. She felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned around to see a scowl on Dean's face.  
'What are you still doing here?' He asked. Colleen's face fell.  
'She's coming with us Dean.' Sam answered for her.  
'What?' He shook his head. 'I thought you said you were going to take her home. Why can't you do anything I ask?'  
'Because it's not necessary anymore.'  
'Forget it Sam.' She shook her head. 'I don't want to be in your way. If you really want me to go Dean, I'll go.' She fumed.  
'No.' Sam began. 'It's fine. You're coming with us.' He turned to face Dean and Nicole. 'Were all just going to go in there, and do some good old fashion socializing. We will let everyone get good and liquored up, and then get them to spill their secrets. Maybe while were at it we can have some fun.'  
'That sounds absolutely wonderful.' Nicole smiled at her sister. She noticed the look of melancholy spread across her face. 'What's wrong Colleen?'  
'Nothing.' She answered quickly. 'I just had something in my eye.'  
'You're not fighting with Dean again are you?' She asked wrapping her arm around Dean's arm. 'I wish the two of you would just get along.'  
'We're not fighting.' She narrowed her eyes at Dean.  
'Good.' Nicole smiled.  
'Are you ready to go?' Sam asked Colleen.  
'Yeah I'm ready.' She replied.  
'Okay.' He took her hand in his and squeezed it. 'You know you're right, you deserved to have some time off every once in a while. Don't worry we will take care of everything tonight. Right Dean?' Dean looked down at their joined hands suspiciously.  
'Yeah. Whatever.' He walked ahead of them towards the bar. Nicole followed closely by his side. Colleen nodded her head at Sam thankful that he had been there to listen to her.  
'Thanks Sam.' Colleen smiled.  
'No problem.' He let go of her hand and let her walk ahead of him towards the bar.

Sam, Dean, Nicole and Colleen all sat together at table with their drinks. There was a strange energy that radiated from each person. They watched as all the people at the party laughed and walked by their table. No one at the table spoke to each other, they just watched the fun ensue around them. Nicole sat silent feeling everyone's tenseness, she tried to do what she could to ease everyone's mind but nothing was working. No one was open to her. After a few minutes of silence she decided to speak.  
'Alright, enough of this.' She sipped her drink. 'Why is everyone upset with each other? I thought we were all going to come in here and have fun?'  
'We are having fun.' Colleen said as she sipped her drink.  
'I don't think so.' Nicole replied. She took her hands and slipped them into the hands of Sam and Dean sitting next to her. She squeezed them tightly and closed her eyes. 'Let's play a little game.' A feeling of happiness washed over the boys as they felt Nicole's soft skin in between their fingers. She tried hard to emit a sense of calm and healing to the boys. She opened her eyes to look at their faces, they seemed to be relaxing. Dean's annoyances began to melt away and Sam felt completely at ease. She looked across the table to her sister who was watching her intently. 'Colleen, would you get us some whiskey shots at the bar?' She asked handing her sister a $50 bill. Colleen's face lifted as she held the money in her hand.  
'Yeah.' She smiled genuinely. 'I can do that.' She stood up from the table.  
'I'll help you.' Dean offered.  
'Okay, thanks.' Colleen accepted his offer. Nicole watched as the two got up from the table and headed towards the bar.  
'Alright.' Nicole smiled at Sam. 'Now that were alone I have to ask, what's going on around here? Everyone is so upset. Why?'  
'Well, I guess it started with Colleen being upset about what Jack said to us the other day.'  
'That he thought we were evil?' She clarified.  
'Yeah, it really got to her. I don't know, it seemed to fester inside of her. She showed up to where we were eating dinner a half hour ago, and she was all gung-ho about coming to the party tonight to confront Jack about the things he said.'  
'She didn't.' She lamented. 'I wish she didn't get so overly emotional.'  
'We tried to stop her by telling her it wasn't a good idea but she didn't want to listen.'  
'No surprise there.'  
'So, Dean tried to take charge. And you know Dean, he can be little too forceful.'  
'Oh yes.' She smiled widely. 'I know all too well. You're not so gentle yourself Sam.' She reminded him of the night they had together.  
'Yeah.' Sam swallowed hard. He blinked his eyes tightly trying to figure what to say next, he felt flustered. 'I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I think maybe she is upset that too.'  
'Oh Sammy.' She held his hand again. 'I'm surprised. I don't know why something like that would bother her. Did it bother you? I didn't mean to upset anyone. I asked if you wanted to, and you did said yes at the time.' She reminded him.  
'Oh, I know. But, weren't we technically asleep?' He asked confused.  
'You were. But so was I. I don't really know how to explain the whole thing to you. It's kind of like a nice dream that we experienced together. Not that it makes it any less real. It's a chance for us to both enjoy each others bodies while we rest comfortably in our own beds. It's nicer that way, less mess. Most men enjoy it very much. I didn't think you or your brother would mind.'  
'No, it's not that.' He cleared his throat. 'It was uhm... pretty incredible.' He took a big sip of his drink feeling his face flush. 'I just think, maybe your sister has feelings for Dean and that kind of added to her being upset tonight.'  
'Oh no.' She frowned. 'That wasn't my intention at all. I would never do anything to hurt my sister. I love her with all my heart.'  
'I know you do.' Sam nodded his head.  
'God.' She sighed and smiled. 'You must think I'm an idiot. I should have known. Colleen has such a fiery personality, and the two of them are like two peas in a crazy explosive pod. I should have realized he was the type she would go for. All that fighting, it shows passion.'  
'Yeah, I guess so.' Sam furrowed his brow.  
'You aren't upset with me are you Sam?'  
'No.' He assured her. 'I'm good. I'm actually just worried about how were going to figure out this case.'  
'I know.' She laughed. 'That's why you're here in the first place. Too bad you can't just work, you end up get mixed in to all this craziness between my sister and I.'  
'It's okay. I know what it's like being close to a sibling who's the total opposite of you.'  
'I guess you do.' She laughed. 'Sam?' She pulled his face closer to hers. 'You're such a good brother, you know that don't you?' She pressed her lips against his. Her lips tasted of strawberry.  
'I guess so.' He blushed. They both sat smiling as they sipped down their drinks. Colleen and Dean walked towards the table with their hands full of shot glasses. Both of them looked more relaxed. Nicole was glad to see it. She urged them to sit down.  
'Okay.' She held a shot up high in her hand. 'Let's make a toast to new friends.' Everyone held up their glasses and clanked them together. They all drink down their shots.  
'That's better.' Dean sighed. 'So what is this game were going to play?'  
'Okay. Let me explain the rules.' Nicole began speaking with enthusiasm. 'It can get a little intense, the first rule is...' Nicole's words were interrupted by the sound of a glass shattering on the bar room floor. They turned around to see a young man with his hands up in the air.  
'Hey!' The man's voice rang out through the air. 'What the hell man?!' The man was standing close to Jack. Jack's face twisted in horror as he looked upon the man's face. A crowd of people began forming around the two boys.  
'Travis. What's happening?' Jack gasped.  
'I don't know!' Travis held out his hand, deep lines began to materialize on them. His fingers began to twist and bend. 'Oh my God.' Travis gasped. Jack took another step back from his friend. He watched in shock as Travis' entire appearance began to distort. His hair began to turn white in front of him and his posture hunched over.  
'Oh no!' Jack wailed.  
'What's happening to me?' Travis cried out. 'What did you do to me?' He turned to look over to the mirror behind the bar and saw his face begin to change and wrinkle. He was growing old by the second. 'No!' He screamed out loud. Everyone in the bar stopped and stared at the scene unfolding.  
'Travis. No, stop!' Jack pleaded even though he knew Travis had no control over what was happening to himself.  
'Am I dying!?' He put his hands to his face and felt the lines settle. His face stopped moving. He clutched his chest. 'I can feel my heart aging.' He gasped in horror as he felt his body settle. His chest was heaving up and down as he took another look at his appearance in the mirror. He was shocked to see that in the few seconds after Jack had touched him he, had aged rapidly. 'I look... I look. 20 years older.' He stared at his reflection in the mirror. 'What did you do to me? Jack!? You freak!'  
'I don't know what happened. Travis, I'm sorry.' Jack inched farther away from the crowd. He stared at all the judgmental faces, they looked upon him with a mixture of shock and disgust. 'All I did was touch him. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.' The look of horror on everyone's face made Jack's blood feel cold.  
'Oh my God.' Nicole gasped. 'It's happening to him.'  
'What?' Dean asked. 'He made that other boy grow old just by touching him?'  
'This is all very reminisant of what happened to us at the same age. All of a sudden you change, and you realize you have a new strange ability.' She took a deep breath and looked at her sister. Colleen's face was twisted in distress. Nicole reached out across the table and held her sisters hand, it was cold as ice. 'You can feel this can't you?'  
'Yes.' She whispered as one single tear ran down her cheek.  
'You realize what this means.' Sam began. 'If he's like the two of you, he must be related to you in some way.'  
'But how?' Colleen shuddered. Jack continued to move farther away from the crowd of people who continued to stare at him. He turned quickly and began to run.  
'He's running away.' Sam said pointing to Jack who headed for the kitchen door.  
'We've got to follow him.' Dean stood up quickly. 'We can't let him leave, not now.' Sam and Dean pushed their way through the crowd of shocked guests. Jack was running fiercely through the kitchen. He took a key out of his pocket and burst through the door and out into the night.

'Jack!' Sam shouted after him. 'Wait up!' They continued to pursue Jack but he was too fast. He ran into the pitch black night. Sam and Dean stopped running, as they couldn't see one foot in front of their faces.  
'What should we do?' Dean asked his brother. 'We can't keep running into the night. It's suicide.' Dark shadows began to appear in Dean's peripheral vision. He turned his head quickly to look at them.  
'I know. But we have to talk to him, this changes everything.'  
'I know it.' The Shadows started moving closer towards Sam and Dean. 'Look we've got to get out of here. Do you see them?'  
'I do.' Sam shuddered looking around quickly. 'Let's go back to the bar. Maybe the girls have a suggestion.'  
'Okay.' Dean agreed quickly reluctant to get back inside. Sam and Dean turned around. Cars began approaching them rapidly as everyone was leaving the bar. Once they walked back through the kitchen and into the main room everyone was gone. All that was left was scattered glasses and beer bottles. Nicole and Colleen sat at the table alone. They were sipping their shot glasses of whiskey. They turned around to see Sam and Dean walking towards them. Dean picked up one of the unclaimed shots and poured it down the back of his throat.  
'Well this was some party.' He cracked.  
'Poor Jack.' Nicole lamented. 'Did you see where he went?'  
'No.' Sam grimaced. 'It was way too dark. Maybe if we drive around and look for him that way?'  
'No. Too dangerous.' Colleen replied. 'We don't have any protection in the car. We have to go back to the house.'  
'She's right.' Nicole agreed with her sister. 'I'm sure he will be alright for tonight. We will catch up with him later.' They all left the bar and headed back up the road to the hotel. The ride was long and creepy. It seemed as if everyone in the car was thinking their own set of disruptive thoughts. No one spoke until they reached the front door of the house. Once they stopped the car, they all rushed in quickly. Nicole began lighting candles as soon as they got inside illuminating the dark house. They all collected back in the kitchen and Colleen lit the fire in the fireplace. Nicole put the water on for tea.  
'Okay.' Sam sat down at the kitchen table and pulled out an old leather notebook. He flipped through some pages. 'So, you said that Andy, Jack's father grew up in the hotel with your mother.'  
'Right.' Nicole agreed. 'They were 4 years apart in age. They were like brother and sister.'  
'Okay, and you said he was an orphan but he was adopted as Mr. Marhsall's son.'  
'Right.'  
'But are you sure that he wasn't Mr. Marshall's real son, and just nobody knew it.'  
'I mean, it's possible.' Nicole paced around the kitchen.  
'You said that there are all sorts of books left from . Books about Physics and Inter dimensional theory.' Dean continued. 'Maybe Mr. Marshall also came from another dimension.'  
'Just like the Shadow People. But a little different.' Sam chimed in.  
'The puppet master.' Dean added.  
'What?' Colleen shook her head.  
'Sam found out that the shadow people are a subordinate being from another dimension. Meaning they need someone to tell them what to do.' Dean explained. 'Someone who comes from the same place but isn't the same species, like a higher life form.'  
'I never thought about it but it makes sense.' Nicole sighed.  
'If all of that is true it would make Jack his grandson.' Dean said.  
'Yup.' Sam replied.  
'And if Jack is like us, chances are he's related to us.' Colleen sat down with a thud on the ground. 'So, were not just a little different. If you're right we're from a totally different place in the universe.'  
'Wow.' Nicole marveled. 'That's amazing.'  
'No it's not. It's horrible.' Colleen shook her head.  
'I'm just wondering how are we related?' She took the hot kettle and poured water into glasses for everyone. She handed Sam and Dean their tea.  
'Well.' Sam accepted his tea cup. 'You said that your grandmother died when your mother was young. But you never mentioned a grandfather.' He continued to work the theory out loud.  
'No, my mother never knew who her father was.' Nicole recalled. 'Oh, I see now. That's why Mr. Marshall left the hotel to my mother. She must have been his real daughter.' She shook her head in shock. 'That makes Andy her brother.' She looked over at her sister who looked disappointed by the entire conversation.  
'Great.' Colleen sighed. 'So, were like them, the Shadow People.'  
'Were not like the Shadow People.' Nicole disagreed.  
'No, we just have the power to control them. Or at least our kind does.' Colleen shook her head. 'I don't like that.'  
'What we need to figure out now is how they are being controlled. It's got to be Andy. After Mr. Marshall died Andy was left with nothing.' Sam said. 'That must have made him awfully upset. So in retaliation he figured out how to control the Shadow people, as a way to terrorize the town.'  
'But our mother gave him all this money to open his own bar.' Nicole cried out in exasperation. 'Why would he do this?'  
'I guess it just wasn't enough for him.' Dean concluded.  
'We've got to find Jack. Usually there is some kind of talisman or a piece of jewelry that is used to control subordinate beings. Andy must have it, and if he does I bet you anything Jack knows where it is.'  
'We can look for him tomorrow morning.' Nicole suggested.  
'No, you two should stay here. Sam and I will look for him tomorrow morning.' Dean said. 'That is why you brought us here right?'  
'Right.' Nicole smiled.  
'Alright. Well, lets all go to bed then we can figure this out in the morning.' Sam suggested. 'We can go to his house and try to talk to Andy.'  
'Okay.' Nicole put her hand out to Colleen who was still on the floor. 'Do you need a hand?'  
'No, you guys go to bed I'll be up in a little while.' She stood up with out her sisters hand.  
'Okay just don't stay up too late.' She said smoothing down the back of her sisters hair. 'Take some tea downstairs to keep you warm.'  
'Thanks.' Colleen took the mug from her sister and headed down the basement stairs. Both Sam and Dean watched as she disappeared into the basement alone.  
'She'll be alright.' Nicole assured them as they headed up the stairs to the second floor. 'She feels things very intensely, sometimes she just needs time to work through her emotions. Her music helps with that.'  
'You're sure?' Sam asked before turning into his bedroom.  
'I'm sure.' Nicole smiled sweetly.  
'Okay then. Goodnight.' Sam opened his bedroom door.  
'Goodnight Sam.' She paused before opening her room. 'Goodnight Dean.'  
'Goodnight.' He opened the large wooden door slowly, and walked into his room. He couldn't help but worry about Colleen alone in the basement. He removed his boots and jeans and climbed into bed. He laid awake for a while until he drifted away into an uneasy sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean once again awoke with a start. This time it was because he had an bad feeling. He swore he heard the sound of a door closing. He sat up in bed and reached for his gun. He checked his bedroom to make sure that he was alone this time. No one was there, he headed for the hallway. His mind raced, he felt extremely uneasy. He knew there was someone else in the house. He tiptoed down the hallway listening for any sounds. The bedrooms were silent except for what sounded like a painful moan coming from downstairs. He glanced at the old clock in the hallway, he had only been asleep for a half hour. He pointed his gun out in front of him cautiously, looking for any signs of others around. He entered the kitchen where the golden embers from the fire still glowed hot in the fireplace. The ground was cold on his bare feet, he wished he had thought to put his jeans and boots on before tromping all over the cold house. He heard the low moan again coming from below his feet. He ascended the basement stairs and walked over towards right. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He continued to hear the painful noise escaping from underneath the door. He knocked again loudly and waited. He heard nothing but the moaning, it started to get louder until it sounded more urgent. Dean's heart raced, he didn't know what to do. He could hear her inside wailing, it got louder and louder until he heard the sound of shattering glass. He burst through the door to see Colleen scared awake by the breaking glass. She lay on the couch with a blanket draped over her. A look of surprise on her face.  
'Dean!' She yelled out loud at the sight of him pointing his gun.  
'Oh Shit.' he quickly pointed the gun down to the ground.  
'Are you trying to give me a heart attack?' She asked him breathlessly.  
'No, no. I'm sorry.' Dean was breathing heavily. He put the gun down on a nearby table. He looked up at the light fixture. Only one bulb remained, the room was now dimly lit. 'I though I heard someone else in the house, and then I heard you yelling. I guess I assumed the worst.' He closed the door and walked over to the couch. He looked down at Colleen's face, there was a mixture of fright and sadness. 'Are you okay? Did you hear anything?' He asked her.  
'No, I didn't hear anything. I was asleep.'  
'But you're okay?'  
'Yeah, I'm okay.' She took a deep breath trying to slow the rapid pace of her heart beat. She closed her eyes momentarily. 'So, you heard me all the way on the second floor?' She shook her with defeat.  
'I did. Well originally I thought I heard someone coming in the house. I came down here, cause I thought someone was hurting you.'  
'Oh.' She buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. 'No, I'm fine.' She groaned loudly into her hands. 'This is just what happens to me. All that banshee screaming remember?'  
'Hey.' he shook his head. 'I didn't mean that.'  
'It's fine.' She looked around to the thick egg crates that lined the walls of her room. 'I thought that with the soundproofing in here it would be more muffled, but I guess it isn't.' She looked up at the light fixture. ' I can't believe I broke two lights.'  
'They're replaceable.' He sat down on the couch. 'Don't be embarrassed seriously, we can get new light bulbs, I'm just glad you're okay.' He pulled her hands down away from her face.  
'Today has been the worst day ever. I don't know why it just can't be over yet.' She studied Dean's concerned face. She began feeling badly for upsetting him. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. She attempted to smile to ease his mind. 'I'm Sorry, I just feel like everything I did today was wrong, it's nothing you have to worry about.'  
'Don't be so hard on yourself. Shit happens you know.' Dean noticed that she was still wearing the dress she had on earlier in the night. Without her jacket on Dean could see her body more clearly in the short red dress. Her legs elongated by the black fishnet tights on top of them.  
'I just wish a little less shit could happen to me.' She paused looking into Deans eyes. Her whole body was aware of how close he was sitting to her. She noticed him looking at her intently. She could feel her face flush. 'I'm sorry I startled you, I appreciate your concern, looking out for me and everything. I really do.' She pulled her legs up to her knees so that Dean would have room to sit back on the couch.  
'Hey, no problem, it's what I do.' He smiled. He leaned against her legs, his arm draped over her in an almost casual way.  
'Well, I didn't mean to disrupt your sleep.' She apologized. 'You can go back upstairs.' She attempted to pull away from Dean but he held onto his position closely. 'I'll be alright down here.'  
'Well, what if I don't want to go back upstairs.' He raised his eyebrows at her.  
'Why wouldn't you want to?' She asked. 'Aren't you tired?'  
'Nope. Are you tired?' He leaned in closer to her face. He replaced his left hand on top of her thigh. He weaved his fingers in and out of the fishnet material rubbing at her bare skin. She opened her eyes wide taking a deep breath in.  
'Um...' She could barely speak, she was completely transfixed by the feeling of Dean's rough hand on her leg. 'No, I'm pretty awake right now.' Dean gripped her leg more tightly, which sent waves of heat throughout her body.  
'Good. Then I'll stay down here, we can keep each other company.' He reached his other hand behind her neck and pulled her face towards his. His breath exhaled warmly onto the skin of her face. She breathed him in and felt intoxicated by him.  
'Okay.' She paused finding it more and more difficult to speak. 'I guess we could do that.' Her eyes closed tightly and she felt Dean's warm moist lips on top of hers. His hand squeezed tighter on her leg, he moved his hand higher up, squeezing her tighter. She lifted her body off the couch to allow his hand to climb higher up her behind. He slipped his other hand behind her back and pressed his body firmly on top of hers. Both felt the room spinning with excitement and passion. She felt Dean's excitement grow more intense as he kissed her deeper. Dean pulled away from her and sat back on his heels. She watched as he pulled his shirt up over his head. Her eyes opened wide as she took in the visual of Dean's strong lean body. A wide smile grew on her face as she couldn't help but be swept away by the sight of his half naked body. A look of pride came across Dean's face as he noticed her reaction to him. She shook her head at his reaction laughing out loud.  
'What?' He asked her with a laugh.  
'You know what.' She teased him. 'You're such a dork.'  
'What? You want me to put it back on?' He asked reaching for his shirt. She gave him a playful look of warning and he dropped the shirt back on the ground. The look on Dean's face became serious again as he reached back towards her body grabbing at her breasts. He pushed his face deep into the side of her neck. He kissed her slow and deliberately, moving his way down to her chest. She reached forward and wrapped her arms around Dean's firm body, exploring his skin gripping at his flesh. He looked up at her face and his eyes lit up.  
'Isn't this better than sleeping?' He asked her.  
'Shut up Dean.' She commanded him reaching her hand more forward to grab in between his legs. 'Don't ruin this.' She ran her hands up and down the front of his body exploring every inch of him. All of a sudden he grabbed her by the hips and moved her body a few inches to the right. She waited to see what he was going to do next. He reached down in between her legs and ripped her fishnet tights wide open. Then he reached his hand down into her black boot that lay on the ground next to the couch. He pulled out her knife and opened it slowly. Her heart raced as he inched the blade closer and closer to her. He teased her by moving the blade slowly towards her body. Everything was completely silent except for the sound of their loud breathing. Dean took the blade and ever so carefully used it to cut the sides of her underwear lose from her body. She thought she would die from anticipation as he threw the knife back onto the ground. He stared down at her body.  
'What are you waiting for?' She asked him.  
'Just savoring the moment.'  
'Stop savoring, please.' She replied with urgency.  
'Okay.' He smiled moving his body towards her.

Nicole walked into the kitchen early the next morning to be greeted by Jack's petrified face staring back at her. She jumped slightly surprised to see him sitting there at the kitchen table. She put her hand to her chest.  
'Oh My!' She gasped. 'Jack, you scared me.'  
'Oh. I didn't mean to.' His face contorted into a saddened expression.'  
'What are you doing here?'  
'I'm sorry Nicole.' He apologized. 'I didn't know where else to go.' He looked around the kitchen with a sense of nervousness. She could see him taping his feet rapidly.  
'No, no.' She attempted to catch her breath. 'It's alright. I just didn't expect to see you sitting there.' She walked closer towards him. 'I'm glad you're here actually.'  
'You are?' He asked.  
'Of course.' She smiled sweetly. 'Try to calm down a little.' She walked closer and put her hand on top of his.  
'I slipped in last night. I hope you don't mind.'  
'No. I don't mind.' She smiled again.  
'After I left the party I just started running. I was so scared and so confused, I just ran and ran until I found myself deep in the woods.' He recalled the events of the night earlier. His body was shaking. Nicole watched him with deep concern.  
'Jack, let me make you some breakfast, I'll get you something to drink too.' She offered.  
'Thank you, I'd like that.' He nodded enthusiastically. Nicole filled up a cup with water and set it down in front of Jack. 'The woods, they're really dark at night. Darker than I realized. At first I was just running so fast, and I couldn't see anything. But after a while I started to feel like someone was watching me.'  
'Oh, sweetheart.' She cooed.  
'So I stopped running, and that's when I saw them. They were everywhere. Running back and forth in front of me, behind me, everywhere. I knew I needed to get out of the woods and I knew I couldn't go home. So I came here. God, they were so horrible.'  
'You're talking about the Shadow People?' She asked for clarification.  
'Yes.' He agreed. 'Wait, how did you know what they were called?'  
'We've known about them for years now Jack. We've done a lot of research, you know we've been out here trying to stop them.' She sighed taking a sip of her own water glass. 'I guess we haven't been doing such a great job.'  
'I don't think it's your fault.' He suggested. 'My dad, well he... has this book about them. He also has this this Amber necklace.' He cleared his throat. 'I feel like I shouldn't be telling you this.'  
'No, it's alright you ca tell me anything Jack.' She tried to keep her composure as Jack explained. She filled a pot on the stove with water and oats. 'What does the book say?'  
'It's about the Shadow people. It's kind of like a guide book. Or instruction manual, if that makes any sense.' He frowned.  
'Sure, sure.' She tried to keep him talking. 'Where does he keep this book?'  
'It's at the bar. It's in a glass case in the basement. It used to freak me out when I was a kid. It's got all these pictures and weird chants in another language. The book itself is old dried up leather. I hate the feel of it.' He shuddered.  
'Okay, Jack, we have to get into that case.' She informed him.  
'Why?'  
'Because this book is the thing that is going to help us get rid of the Shadow People.'  
'It's the key to all these deaths isn't it?' He sighed hard.  
'I'm sorry but, I think it is.' She replied.  
'This is terrible.' He scratched his head. 'I should have known. All this time I thought it was you and your sister.'  
'Killing people?' she asked him. 'Why would you think that?'  
'I don't know. I thought you were evil because of the weird things you can do. I was such an idiot.'  
'It's alright. You didn't know.' She poured him some more water.'  
'God, why did this have to happen?' He banged his fists hard on the kitchen table. 'All this time I spent scared of you girls, I was destined to turn out just like you and I never even knew it. Why? Why me?' He asked.  
'Well, I think this happened because were related Jack.' She smiled. 'I think your father was my mothers sister. My uncle.'  
'Oh God.' He lamented. 'So we're cousins?'  
'I think so.'  
'I'm sorry but I just don't know why I have to be part of the weirdo family. Why can't I just be normal?' He stopped speaking as they heard Sam began descending the stairs into the kitchen. Sam blinked his eyes hard as he saw Jack sitting at the large wooden table talking to Nicole.  
'Hey, Jack.' Sam greeted him, he was happy that he didn't have to go looking for Jack again. 'We were looking for you last night. How are you feeling this morning?'  
'I don't know.' He replied. 'I'm really shaken up.'  
'Yeah, I can see that.'  
'You know, last night was the worst night of my life.' Jack confided.  
'I'm sure it was. I'm sure you were really scared. I'm sorry you had to go through that.' He approached him slowly. 'It's good that you are here though, we should talk.'  
'Listen, I know you and uh... Keith aren't really from the EPA .' He told Sam.  
'Okay. You're right. We're not.' Sam nodded his head.  
'I know you are here working with Nicole and Colleen. Are you here because of the Shadow people?'  
'Well.' Sam looked over at Nicole who nodded yes at him. 'Yeah, we are.  
'Okay, I saw them last night. For the first time. I really saw them.' He shook his head. 'I never want to see them again. So, I told Nicole my dad has this book.'  
'He has a book?' Sam's eyes light up. 'About the Shadow People?'  
'Yes. It's more like an instruction manual.'  
'And he has an Amber necklace.' Nicole added.  
'Wow. That's great.' Sam nodded enthusiastically. 'All we have to do is get the book and the necklace and destroy them. It should send the Shadow people back the dimension they came from, making Shadow Creek Hills safe again.' He looked around the room. 'We should go there as soon as possible. Where the hell is Dean?'  
'Is he still asleep?' Nicole asked.  
'No, I went to wake him up and he wasn't in his room.'  
'Who's Dean?' Jack asked.  
'Oh, it's uh... Keith. The other EPA...um. Dean's my brother.'  
'Oh.' He sipped his water embarrassed.  
'Is the Impala still out front?' Sam asked.  
'Let me look.' Nicole looked out the side kitchen window. The black shiny Impala stared back at her. 'Yeah it's still here. Maybe he went out for a walk.'  
'I doubt it.' He shook his head. 'Either way we've got to go. Jack?' He turned his attention towards Jack. ' Will you come with us to the bar now so we can get the book and necklace?'  
'Do we have to do it now?' He asked. 'Maybe we should wait.'  
'No, we can't wait. We have to do it now.' Sam replied.  
'But I'm so tired.' He whined not wanting to go.  
'Jack, every day we wait it gets more and more dangerous out there.' Nicole reminded him. 'More people are dying, no one is safe when it's dark and it gets dark earlier and earlier every day.'  
'But how do I know that this isn't a trap?' He asked.  
'You've got to be kidding me.' Sam shook his head. 'Look, you're going to have to trust us here.'  
'But I need to know what happened to me last night. I can't forget the look in Travis' eyes. All I did was touch him and he aged 20 years. Am I ever going to be able to touch another human being again?'  
'I don't know.' Sam replied bluntly.  
'Sweetheart.' Nicole moved closer to Jack. 'We will figure this all out. I will explain as much as I can to you, and whatever I don't know we will find out together, I promise. But first we need to take care of this very important job.'  
'Trust me Jack we don't want to put this off.' Sam warned him.  
'But what am I going to say to my father?' He asked mournfully. 'Do you really think he's been controlling the Shadow People this whole time? I mean, why would he do that?'  
'I don't know Jack.' Nicole attempted to ease his mind while trying to hurry him out of the house. 'Maybe he didn't realize.'  
'Yeah right.' He stood up at the table. 'How could you not realize?' He stared down at his feet for a minute thinking about his fathers ulterior motives. He felt lost and confused. 'Well let's do this then.'  
'Okay.' Nicole turned off the water on the stove. 'Sam are you ready?'  
'Yeah.'  
'We can call Dean on the way, he can meet up with us.' She said.  
'Alright.' Sam reluctantly agreed.

The three of them headed into town in Nicole's car. The woods were already beginning to get dark, the sky above them looked ominous. Dark clouds moved across the sky looking like a bad omen. Nicole turned up the heat in the car, but all three passengers shivered as the temperature seemed to drop lower and lower as they drove. By the time they got to the bar there was only a small amount of light left in the sky. The atmosphere rumbled and they saw flashes of lightning all around them. They snuck around the back entrance. The bar was quiet, which meant that Andy was probably not in yet. Sam took a deep breath realizing that it was too quiet. Defeating a supernatural being was never this easy. They tiptoed down the stairs into the large basement. Next to all the bar equipment and glasses there was a large wooden desk. Jack turned on the overhead lights. They looked around quickly, they were completely alone in the basement. Behind the large desk was a lighted glass book case. On the second shelf sat the book, and next to the book was a metal locked box. They rushed to the case. Sam took out a safety pin and picked the door lock. They pulled out the book and placed it on the desk. Sam felt the strange dried leather cover.  
'Gross.' Sam winched. 'Do you realize, this isn't ordinary leather.' He touched it. 'It's human skin.'  
'What?' Jack gasped.  
'I'm sorry man.' Sam tried to console him. 'But it's definitely human.'  
'Why? Why would my father have this?' Jack shook his head. 'How can you live with someone your whole life and not know that they're evil? What does that say about me?'  
'Jack, this isn't your fault.' Nicole tried to console him.  
'I sure feel like it is. If I had known earlier maybe I could have done something to stop all this.'  
'Nicole's right, this really isn't your fault.' Sam thumbed through the book quickly. 'You know, I almost feel bad about this.' He said as he poured lighter fluid on the pages. 'I mean, the real secret to the Shadow People is in this book. After I burn it, well that's it. We're never really going to know.'  
'That's okay Sam.' Nicole assured him. 'I guess in the end it doesn't really matter why they're here, or how they got here. It's just important to get rid of them once and for all.'  
'Yeah your right.' He lit a match and threw it on the book. Flames shot up and the pages began to burn and sizzle. They all watched in awe as the book began to disintegrate. The pages twisted and dissolved, the smell of the burning flesh filled the room. They all reeled backwards in response to the horrible odor.  
'God, Sam that is dreadful.' Nicole put her hand over her mouth to try and block out the fumes.  
'I know it.' He cringed. The book began to disappear in front of their eyes. Sam turned to look at the glass bookcase again. 'Okay. Now we've got to destroy the amulet.' He put his safety pin into the locked box and picked the lock open. He pulled up the cover to see that there was nothing in side.  
'Is it in there?' Jack looked into the box and saw that it was empty.  
'Oh shit.' Sam sighed. 'It isn't in here.'  
'That means Andy must be wearing it.' Nicole grumbled.  
'He must be.' Sam shook his head. There was a loud crash as the light bulb in the glass case burst.  
'Oh God!' Nicole yelled out in surprise. She took a step closer to Sam. They turned around to see what has caused the break. 'Colleen?' Nicole whispered. Another loud crash as the light bulbs on the ceiling burst one by one. She wrapped her arms tightly around Sam in fear. 'That's not my sister. What's happening?'  
'I don't know.' Sam stared widely ahead of them into the dark basement. All the bulbs were out, and the only light in the room came from the small flames still burning the book.  
'You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?' Andy's voice called out to them. You could hear the evil smile in his words.  
'Dad?!' Jack yelled into the darkness. He opened his eyes widely to try and see his father through the darkness.  
'Jack, my boy.' He sighed. 'I was wondering where you went off to last night. I see you brought some friends with you.'  
'Dad, I think we need to have a long conversation about a few things. Like this book.' He said pointing to the glowing embers.  
'That book that you just stole and burned? What do you want to say about it?'  
'I know what your doing with it. Using it to control the Shadow People.' Jack revealed to him. 'Why would you do such a thing?'  
'Oh Jack, how could I explain.' Andy lit a match to a candle he held in his hand. His face was now illuminated to see a twisted grin. 'I did this for you Jack. You know we should inherited everything from Mr. Marshall. The hotel and all the land, we were going to have a great life you know.'  
'Dad, our life is just fine.' Jack said.  
'No it isn't the bar is failing. Our lives are falling apart and it's all because of your little friend over there.' He pointed to Nicole. 'Her family ruined everything for us.  
'What do you mean?' Nicole asked him.  
'Your whore of a grandmother. She came between my father I.' As he spoke he began to raise his arms in the air. Flashes of black shadows began appearing around the room. Nicole shielded her eyes and gripped onto Sam tighter.  
'Dad, this is crazy.'  
'No, the crazy thing is that I had to live my whole life pretending to be something I wasn't. I was his son, his real son. We came here when I was very little. But, because of the strict puritan morals of this world Dad knew no one would accept him and his son. Back where I come from you don't have to be married to have children, none of that even matters. He was afraid people wouldn't accept him if they knew he had a young son with no mother, so he told everyone I was an orphan that he was going to adopt.'  
'But that was his choice. No one made him lie. I don't know what that has to do with me or my family.' Nicole took a deep breath. She knew that more afraid she was the stronger the Shadow People would become.  
'No, your grandmother made my father fall in love with her. He had no choice but to try and hide his true identity, she cast over him, she was evil.' He cleared his throat. 'You know, when my father slipped through to this dimension he let some of the Shadow People slip out too. It was an accident, but then he figure out how to control them. Sure, there were a few incidents here and there but it was pretty rare. He kept working hard in this new life, he opened the hotel, and our future was looking bright. But then he met her, Claudia Anderson and he didn't have time for me anymore. They had a baby girl and then I was completely ignored.' He stared at Nicole.  
'I'm so sorry that happened to you.' Nicole tried to sympathize with him.  
'I thought I told you to shut up!' He boomed. 'You're not going to use your charms on me! I'm immune to your powers.'  
'I wasn't trying to..' She began.  
'No! You're all the same. You, your sister and the rest of the women in your family. You disgust me.' The dark shadows flashed before her eyes but this time Nicole saw a clear face. She took a deep breath in terror as she saw the horrible fleshed faces of the Shadow People. She screamed out loud in fear. Andy laughed maniacally as she screamed for her life. She dug her fingers deep into Sam's arm and then collapsed onto the ground.  
'Nicole!' Sam shouted as bent down to her. She lay shivering on the ground with her eyes wide open and her skin pale white. Sam looked back at Andy who continued to laugh. 'That's it, you've had your fun, it's all over now.'  
'Why are you doing this!?' Jack asked his father. 'You can't keep killing people.' He looked at his father with anger and confusion.  
'These people don't matter Jack.' Andy defended himself. 'They are expendable.'  
'But they're our family.' Jack pleaded.  
'They aren't your family. I'm your family.'  
'But my mother.' Nicole choked out. 'She was your baby sister, she didn't do anything to harm you. She loved you, and after Mr. Marshall died she gave you the money to start the bar.'  
'I deserved so much more than that!' Andy scoffed. 'You know, after little Emily was born I did everything I could to try and win my fathers love back. But, he only cared about her. I was forced to work in the hotel like a slave while she was given all the luxurious comforts he could find.'  
'How can you blame her for this, she didn't know.' Nicole tried to defend her mother. 'She didn't do this to you. You're father did. Not my mother or grandmother. Neither of them even knew.'  
'They knew!' He roared.  
'I can't believe you would turn on your own sister.' Sam shook his head.  
'You don't know anything about it!' He roared angry.  
'I know all about it. You're just a jealous child. You've unleashed this hell on Shadow Creek because you can't handle someone else getting more attention.' Sam taunted him. 'Daddy wasn't perfect, so now you're going to kill an entire population of people?'  
'No, not all of them.' He corrected Sam. 'You see, at first I was just trying to get rid of my sister, but then she married and had children.' He said as he sneered at Nicole's shivering body. She looked up at Andy's eyes in horror.  
'I never did anything to you.' She whispered.  
'Your mom and dad were easy to kill.' He laughed. 'I figured you and your sister would be too. But you gave me trouble, trouble I didn't account for.' He shook his head. 'But all of that is over now, because I have you here. I have complete control over the Shadow People, and I'm going to finish you all off for good.' He looked around the room. The sight of the Shadow People circling Sam, Nicole and Jack was becoming more intense. 'I'm sorry that I have to do this to you son but you brought this on yourself. It would have all worked out. They would have been dead and we would have the hotel all for ourselves. The sun would come back up and the Shadow People would be tucked away under my orders. The woods would be alive again.'  
'But the sun. How do you know it would be back?' Jack asked.  
'Well, as you know we all have special abilities. There's the siren over there on the floor.' He pointed cruelly at Nicole. 'You've got the ability to manipulate time.'  
'Manipulate time?' Jack shook his head. 'You mean I can drain years from someone's life just by touching them.'  
'Oh Jack, don't sound so upset about it. You could have learned to harness it and control it. It's a wonderful gift.'  
'So tell us.' Sam prodded Andy. 'What's your ability then?' Sam asked.  
'Besides my acquired ability to control the Shadow People?' He smiled holding up the amulet. 'I can control the light. The sun rises and sets when I want.' He laughed.  
'That's why it gets so dark so early.' Jack shook his head.  
'Yes it is. Too bad it looks like the darkness is about to become permanent for you.' He raised his hand higher and the Shadow people moved in closer to the three. It was clearly scaring them more and more. It was almost impossible to resist. Sam gripped his heart feeling it beat faster and faster. He winched as he felt the pain in his chest. 'You're heart will only hold out for so long. Soon you will all be dead and I will be in total control again. It's just too bad that God forsaken sister of yours isn't here. I would have liked to finish you all off at the same time.' He laughed.  
'Hey asshole.' Dean's voice boomed from behind Andy. Andy turned around sharply to see Dean and Colleen staring back at him. 'It looks like today's your lucky day, cause she's right here.' Dean threw three pairs of ear muffs to Sam Nicole and Jack. 'Put these on now!' He shouted. Andy watched in confusion as they all quickly put on the ear protection and held their hands against their ears. Dean did the same.  
'No.' Andy shook his head realizing what was about to happen. 'You can't.' He put his hands up to his hears in anticipation of her voice. Colleen took a step closer to Andy and inhaled a large gasp of air. Her lungs opened wide and her mouth parted. Andy's eyes opened wide as he watched in horror. The sound was white hot, like a knife slicing through his ear drums. His stomach twisted and lurched in pain as he tried in vain to protect his hearing. Andy dropped to his knees, wailing. Everyone else in the room covered their ears harder as the sound escaped through the earmuffs. Colleen's voice rang out louder as she watched Andy clutch his chest. He cried out again as his body fell limply to the cement floor. She quickly closed her mouth and looked around the room at her friends. Everyone groaned on the ground as they attempted to recover. Her ears rang slightly as she shook her head hard trying to shake the feeling screaming had over her.  
'Holy shit.' Dean grumbled as he pulled the ear muffs off his head. He shook his head staring at Colleen in amazement. 'Remind me never to get you angry.'  
'Funny.' She replied dryly. She looked over at Sam, Nicole, and Jack. Her head began to pound. 'Are you guys alright?' She took a deep breath and felt like she might pass out. Dean put his hands out and grabbed her shoulders.  
'Are you alright?' He asked her.  
'I'm okay. It just takes a lot out of me to do that.'  
'Were okay.' Sam pulled off his ear muffs and shook his head. 'What about Andy, is he?' Sam began looking at Andy. Dean put his two fingers to Andy's neck and felt for a pulse. He felt nothing.  
'He's gone.' Dean shook his head.  
'No.' Jack stood up and walked over to the body. 'No.' He moaned softly.  
'I'm sorry Jack.' Dean offered his sympathies. 'We had to.'  
'Dad, why?' Jack cried to his fathers body.  
'Dean. The amulet, did it shatter too?' Sam asked.  
'No.' he said pulling the necklace off Andy neck.  
'Well you've got to destroy it. They're going to come back.' Sam said noticing the Shadow People beginning to move around the room again.  
'No.' Jack stood up grabbing the necklace from Dean. 'I'll do it.' He lifted the necklace high above his head and threw it down to the ground hard. The hard rock cracked in half. He picked his foot up high and slammed it down on the rock again, causing it to break even more. He repeatedly stomped on the amber until it was shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Jack slumped to the ground and put his head in his hands. The amulet was gone and it seemed that the Shadow People were too. The sun cracked through the dark basement windows and began burning brightly to illuminate the room. Everyone's eyes dilated widely as they felt the comforting sunlight enter.  
'Wow.' Sam marveled at the bright light. 'That is beautiful.'  
'Yes.' Nicole picked her head up off the ground to look out the window. 'It really is.'  
'Hey, Jack?' Colleen spoke softy to him. He continued to cry. She stared back at him with great sadness. 'I just want you to know that I'm so sorry.' He didn't respond. She walked closer to him. 'I didn't want to do it. There was no other way.'  
'I know.' Jack cried out. He lifted his head up to look at Colleen with tears streaming down his face. 'I know you had to, I just wish it didn't have to be like this.'  
'Jack.' Nicole spoke softly. She took a deep breath now that her fear had subsided. She looked over at Jack's quivering hands. She stood up and walked over to him. 'It's going to be alright. I know it is.' She rubbed his arm trying to bring some peace to him.

Nicole and Colleen held hands tightly with Jack as they walked away from the cemetery. Jack was dressed casually in jeans and black leather jacket. Nicole and Colleen were dressed in long ornate black dresses. Dean and Sam watched, leaning against the Impala as they all walked closer to them. Jack smiled warmly at the brothers and reached his gloved hand out to them.  
'Listen guys, I can't thank you enough for what you did.'  
'Don't mention it.' Dean gripped Jack's hand firmly.  
'Really. I don't know what we would have done without you.'  
'All in a days work.' Sam smiled. 'So what are you going to do now?' He asked Jack.  
'Well.' Jack pointed to a motorcycle a few hundred feet away. 'I figure, I've got some soul searching to do. I'm going to go out on my bike for a while and try and figure things out.' Nicole and Colleen smiled warmly at Jack.  
'What about the bar and everything?' Dean asked. 'Now that the suns out and people aren't afraid of the woods anymore, this town is starting to pick up.'  
'Yeah. Well, Colleen said she would take care of it for me.' He smiled at her.  
'Yeah.' She smiled. 'He said I could do anything I wanted with it.'  
'I did say that didn't I?' Jack laughed.  
'It's going to be great.' Nicole smiled. 'And I decided I'm going to open the hotel back up on a trial basis.'  
'That's amazing.' Sam nodded his head.  
'Yeah, so if you boys ever get tired of this life, and want a job our door is always open to you.' Nicole offered.  
'Thanks Nicole.' Dean smiled. 'What are you going to do with the bar?' He asked Colleen.  
'I think I'm going to turn it into a rock club.' She nodded her head. 'It'll be cool, I'll have live bands play and I'm going to build a recording studio in the basement too. Now that I don't have to 'live like a wild animal in the woods' anymore.' She shot Dean a sarcastic look.  
'What!?' He laughed. 'Did I say that?'  
'I think you did.' She laughed. 'Well, it looks like I'm going to have all sorts of free time now.'  
'You're going to start writing music again?' He asked.  
'That's part of the plan.'  
'That sounds great.' Sam marveled.  
'So, you guys are moving on as well?' Jack asked Sam and Dean.  
'Yeah.' Dean nodded his head. 'We've got more work to do out there.'  
'Well, again. Thank you so much.' Jack smiled.  
'Anytime.' Sam replied.  
'I'll see you guys around. Maybe on the road somewhere.' He turned to Nicole and Colleen. 'I'll be back, I'm not sure when but you'll see me again soon.'  
'How about Christmas?' Nicole asked him with hope.  
'Yeah.' He laughed. 'Christmas, I guess I can do that.'  
'Wonderful.' She beamed.  
'Take care of that bar alright?' He said to Colleen. 'I expect to read 'Shadow Hills, North Carolina's new musical hotspot thanks to local musician, producer, bar owner, Colleen Anderson.''  
'Oh yeah?' She laughed. 'Well I'll do what I can.'  
'Goodbye.' He kissed Nicole and Colleen on the cheeks and walked over to his motorcycle. He put his helmet on and turned the bike on. They all watched as he rode off alone into the sun. Sam turned to his brother and smiled.  
'Well, we should probably take off as well.'  
'Are you sure you don't want to stay one more night?' Nicole asked. 'I promise you'll have a good time.'  
'Well.' Dean laughed. 'I'm sure that's true.' He gave Nicole a flirty smile. 'But Sammy's right we should go.'  
'Alright boys.' Nicole wrapped her arms tightly around Dean and kissed him on the cheek softly. 'I'll always be grateful for your help.' She pulled away to look at Dean's face one last time. He smiled widely at her. She walked to Sam and did the same, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him goodbye. She turned to her sister. 'Colleen, I'm going to walk home.'  
'Really?' She asked with confusion.  
'Yes. It's the first time in a long time I've felt the warm sun on my skin. It's a perfect day to walk.'  
'Alright. Well, I wanted to go clean the bar today anyway.'  
'Wonderful. I'll see you for dinner then?'  
'Yeah. Dinner.'  
'Goodbye.' She waved to Sam and Dean. 'If I never need anything from you again, I'll just sing for you.'  
'Okay.' Sam blushed as he watched her walk away.  
'Well.' Colleen spoke with her eyes pointed at the ground. 'I'll miss you Sam.' She looked up into his dark eyes. She gripped him tightly.  
'I'll miss you too.' He smiled. He looked at her sad face and then looked at Dean's face. 'I'm going to sit in the car.' He told his brother. 'Goodbye, Colleen.'  
'Bye Sam.' She smiled at him.  
'So.' Dean spoke to Colleen as he began walking away from the car. 'I guess this is goodbye.'  
'Yeah.' She nodded her head. 'I guess so. Hey, I'm sorry I put you through so much shit this week.' Dean shook his head at her in response.  
'No you're not.' He said grabbing her hand.  
'No. I'm not.' She laughed.  
'Take care of yourself aright?' He squeezed her hand tightly.  
'Alright.' She stared back into his green eyes. 'You too. Be safe out there. Don't get yourself killed.'  
'I won't.' He smiled. He stepped closer to Colleen and pulled her face into his. He kissed her softly on the lips one last time and then pulled away. She wrapped her arms tightly around Dean's body and squeezed him.  
'Okay.' She said pulling away. 'Get out of here.'  
'Alright.' He smiled. 'Bye Colleen.'  
'Bye Dean.' Dean turned away from her and walked towards the Impala that Sam sat inside. He didn't look back, but just climbed into the car. He closed the passenger door and told Sam to drive. He closed his eyes tightly and turned on the radio.

The End!


End file.
